QUEENSLAND has delivered a seismic shift in the 2025 Federal Election, with Labor making sweeping gains across Brisbane – headlined by Kara Cook’s stunning victory in the once-safe LNP seat of Bonner.
Cook, a former Brisbane City councillor, has unseated long-time Liberal MP Ross Vasta with a commanding 8.8 per cent swing to Labor, making her the first ALP candidate to win the seat since 2007.
With 74.7 per cent of the vote counted, Cook leads by 8752 votes, securing 55.4 per cent of the two-party preferred vote.
Cook thanked every single person in Bonner who put their trust in Labor and in her to deliver for them.
“The opportunity to serve our community is one I will never take for granted,” she said.
“I’m humbled and ready to get to work.”
The result marks a symbolic and strategic breakthrough for Labor in Queensland, long regarded as a stronghold for the Liberal National Party at federal level.
Bonner had been held by Vasta since 2010, with a 3.4 per cent margin going into the election.
Cook’s win was part of a broader “red wave” sweeping across South East Queensland, with Labor also wresting back key Brisbane seats of Dickson, Griffith and Brisbane from the LNP and the Greens.
The loss of Dickson by Opposition Leader Peter Dutton is expected to trigger a major leadership contest within the LNP.
However, the night wasn’t all bad news for the Coalition.
In neighbouring Bowman, LNP MP Henry Pike narrowly held on, surviving a strong challenge from Labor’s Darcy Brown.
Pike leads by 5128 votes after preferences, with a 2.8 per cent swing against him, reducing his margin significantly and signalling Bowman’s shift towards marginal status.
The seat was previously held by LNP with a margin of 5.5 per cent. Pike said he was humbled to have secured an unassailable lead and be returned as the Member for Bowman.
“This is an honour that I never take for granted,” he said.
“Across Greater Brisbane, there’s been a significant swing to Labor.
“Against that backdrop, the result here in Bowman is both a deeply humbling show of personal support, and a clear message that we must do better to present a stronger, more compelling alternative government.
“I’ll keep working every day to look after the best interests of the Redlands and Redlanders.”
In a sign of the electorate’s shifting dynamics, the Greens lost ground in both Bonner and Bowman, with progressive voters appearing to swing behind Labor in large numbers in a coordinated push to oust Coalition incumbents.
