Liberal National Party of Queensland facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Liberal National Party Liberal National Party of Queensland
Abbreviation	LNP
Leader	David Crisafulli
Deputy Leader	Jarrod Bleijie
President	Lawrence Springborg
Vice President	Amanda Cooper Joshua Auld
Founded	26 July 2008; 17 years ago (26 July 2008)
Merger of	Liberal National
Headquarters	Albion, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Youth wing	Young LNP
Membership (2022)	11,000
Ideology	Conservatism Liberal conservatism Agrarianism Factions: Christian right Right-wing populism
Political position	Centre-right to right-wing
National affiliation	Liberal–National Coalition
Colours	Light blue
Legislative Assembly	35 / 93
House of Representatives	21 / 30 (Queensland seats)
Senate	5 / 12 (Queensland seats)
Brisbane City Council	20 / 27
Politics of Australia Political parties

The Liberal National Party of Queensland (LNP) is a major political party in Queensland, Australia. It was formed in 2008. This happened when two other parties, the Liberal Party and the National Party, joined together in Queensland.

In most other parts of Australia, these two parties are still separate. They often work together as a Coalition. The LNP is connected to both the Liberal Party of Australia and the National Party of Australia.

The LNP first ran in an election in 2009 but lost. Then, in the 2012 election, they won by a lot! They got 78 out of 89 seats. This was a record win in the Queensland parliament (which means it has only one main group of lawmakers). Campbell Newman became the first LNP Premier of Queensland (like a state governor). However, his government lost the next election in 2015 to the Labor Party.

How the LNP Was Formed

Why Parties Merged in Queensland

Since the 1970s, the Liberal and National parties in Queensland often competed against each other for votes. At the national level, these two parties usually work together. The Liberal Party is generally stronger in cities, and the National Party is stronger in country areas. This helps them win more seats together than the Australian Labor Party.

Queensland is a bit different from other Australian states. A large part of its population lives in regional cities, not just the capital city, Brisbane. Because of this, the National Party was often stronger in Queensland than the Liberal Party. This meant the National Party had more seats and was the main partner in their group.

Over time, the way elections worked in Queensland changed. It became harder for the Liberal and National parties to win enough seats if they ran separately. They realised that if they kept competing, the Labor Party would often win.

Early Attempts to Join Forces

The LNP's creation wasn't the first time these types of parties tried to merge in Queensland.

• In 1925, two parties, the Nationalist Party and the Country Party, joined to form the Country and Progressive National Party. They won an election in 1929 but split up a few years later.
• In 1941, the United Australia Party and Country Party also tried to merge as the Country-National Organisation. This merger only lasted until 1944.

In the 1970s, the National Party (then called the Country Party) started running candidates in city areas, directly competing with the Liberals. This caused problems between them. In 1983, the Liberals left their partnership with the Nationals. The Nationals then governed alone for a while.

Changes to Queensland Elections

In 1992, new election rules made it even harder for the Liberal and National parties to win if they ran against each other. Also, more seats in the Queensland parliament were now in Brisbane. It became very hard to win an election without winning many seats in Brisbane. The Labor Party often won because they had strong support in Brisbane.

Many members of both parties felt that joining together would stop them from competing against each other. This would give them a better chance to win seats, especially in Brisbane.

The Liberal National Party is Born

On May 30, 2008, the Queensland Liberal and National parties agreed to merge. Members of both parties voted, and most were in favour. The LNP was officially created on July 26, 2008.

After the merger, the new party had 25 members in the Queensland parliament. Lawrence Springborg, who was the National Party leader, became the first leader of the LNP. Mark McArdle, the Liberal Party leader, became the Deputy Leader.

The LNP's first election as a single party was in 2009. They gained some seats but still lost to Labor. Lawrence Springborg then stepped down as leader. John-Paul Langbroek became the new leader. He was from the Liberal side of the merger.

The Newman Government

In 2011, Campbell Newman, who was the Lord Mayor of Brisbane, decided to run for parliament. He announced he would try to become the LNP leader. Newman was also from the Liberal side. Langbroek and Springborg then resigned. Jeff Seeney became the temporary leader until Newman could win a seat in parliament.

In the 2012 state election, Campbell Newman led the LNP to a huge win. They gained 44 more seats and won 78 out of 89 seats. This was the biggest win in Queensland's history! The LNP won almost all the seats in Brisbane. Newman became the Premier of Queensland. This was the first time in 23 years that a non-Labor party had won a majority government in Queensland.

However, in the 2015 state election, the LNP unexpectedly lost. They lost many seats, and Campbell Newman even lost his own seat. He then decided to leave politics. Lawrence Springborg became the leader again.

Later, in 2016, Tim Nicholls became the party leader. He led the party to another loss in the 2017 election. After this, Deb Frecklington became the leader in December 2017.

Under Deb Frecklington, the LNP lost again in the 2020 state election. She decided to step down. David Crisafulli was then elected as the new LNP leader in November 2020.

How the LNP Works at a National Level

The LNP also has members who serve in the Australian Parliament in Canberra. These members are part of the larger Liberal–National Coalition.

In February 2022, out of 29 LNP members in the federal parliament, 21 sat with the Liberal Party, and eight sat with the National Party. These eight members were:

• The Hon. David Littleproud MP
• George Christensen MP
• Michelle Landry MP
• Ken O'Dowd MP
• The Hon. Keith Pitt MP
• Llew O'Brien MP
• Senator The Hon. Matt Canavan
• Senator Susan McDonald

Generally, LNP members from Brisbane and the Gold Coast join the federal Liberal Party. Members from country areas usually join the federal National Party.

After the 2022 federal election, Peter Dutton, an LNP member from Brisbane, became the federal leader of the Liberal Party. David Littleproud, an LNP member from regional Queensland, became the federal leader of the National Party. This was the first time that LNP members led both parts of the federal Coalition.

LNP Leaders Over Time

Leader

Here are the leaders of the LNP since it was formed:

No.	Leader	Portrait	Electorate	Took office	Left office	Premier (term)
1	Lawrence Springborg		Southern Downs	27 July 2008	2 April 2009		Bligh (2007–2012)
2	John-Paul Langbroek		Surfers Paradise	2 April 2009	22 March 2011
N/A	Jeff Seeney		Callide	22 March 2011	2 April 2011
3	Campbell Newman		Lord Mayor of Brisbane (until 2012) Ashgrove (2012–2015)	2 April 2011	7 February 2015
							Newman (2012–2015)
(1)	Lawrence Springborg		Southern Downs	7 February 2015	6 May 2016		Palaszczuk (2015–2023)
4	Tim Nicholls		Clayfield	6 May 2016	12 December 2017
5	Deb Frecklington		Nanango	12 December 2017	12 November 2020
6	David Crisafulli		Broadwater	12 November 2020 (unopposed)	present
							Miles (2023–present)

Deputy Leader

Here are the Deputy Leaders of the LNP:

No.	Deputy	Portrait	Electorate	Took office	Left office
1	Mark McArdle		Caloundra	2 April 2009	22 March 2011
2	Lawrence Springborg		Southern Downs	27 July 2008	2 April 2009
N/A	Tim Nicholls		Clayfield	22 March 2011	2 April 2011
3	Jeff Seeney		Callide	2 April 2011	7 February 2015
4	John-Paul Langbroek		Surfers Paradise	7 February 2015	6 May 2016
5	Deb Frecklington		Nanango	6 May 2016	12 December 2017
6	Tim Mander		Everton	12 December 2017	12 November 2020
7	David Janetzki		Toowoomba South	12 November 2020	14 March 2022
8	Jarrod Bleijie		Kawana	14 March 2022	present

President

The President is a very important role in the party, helping to manage it.

No.	President	Portrait	Took office	Left office
1	Bruce McIver		26 July 2008	25 September 2015
2	Gary Spence		22 November 2015	21 December 2018
3	David Hutchinson		December 2018	3 August 2020
4	Cynthia Hardy		3 August 2020	24 July 2021
5	Lawrence Springborg		24 July 2021	Incumbent

More to Explore

• Katter's Australian Party
• Clive Palmer
• Liberal–National party merger
• 2012 Queensland state election
• Young LNP – the youth group of the party