Seats regarded as in play by Labor,such as Dawson,Flynn,Capricornia,Forde and Petrie,are all set to be easily retained by the LNP. Even maverick George Christensen,facing criticism for spending unusual amounts of time in the Philippines,enjoyed a massive swing in his seat of Dawson.
The result means Labor will hold at best five out of the 30 Queensland seats,next to the LNP's 24,with Bob Katter as an independent.
Coalition MPs previously on wafer-thin margins now have safe buffers for the next election.
Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton at Albany Creek State School in Brisbane on Saturday.Credit:Glenn Hunt
A victory by Mr Dutton means he also has brushed off criticism of his hard-nosed political style and survived the fallout of last year’s leadership brawl,when he brought on a challenge to the then prime minister Malcolm Turnbull only to lose to Mr Morrison.
Mr Dutton said earlier this month that he would continue to support Mr Morrison as leader,whether the Coalition won the election or not.
The Home Affairs Minister blasted what he said was"aggressive"campaigning and"vicious personal attacks"by the left-wing group GetUp,which he said had backfired and made people vote for him out of disgust - a claim denied by the group.
While the government has focused on the economy and tax,voters who backed Mr Dutton raised issues such as strong border security and social conservatism when they spoke toThe Sydney Morning Herald andThe Age on Saturday.
The Liberal Party is better aligned with our values.
Lyndal Parfoot,who voted for Peter Dutton
Lyndal Parfoot and her husband,Chris,who were voting at Cedar Creek Public Hall accompanied by their teenage sons,both cited"family values"in backing Mr Dutton.
Loading
"The Liberal Party is better aligned with our values,"Mrs Parfoot said,although she also thought"we are not generous enough towards refugees".
Mr Parfoot said he was angry about the criticism of rugby player Israel Folau,which he said eroded religious freedom.
The couple believed Mr Dutton had been an attentive local member.
Ramesh Nandamuri,a general practitioner who grabbed a picture with Mr Dutton,praised his work on border security.
"A lot of Indians like us have gone through a lot of hoops to be here and we want to keep it that way,to be secure and safe,with people coming through proper channels,"he said.