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	Douglas Hawkes 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 (Australian) Liberal conservatism Agrarianism Factions: Christian right
Political position	Centre-right to right-wing
National affiliation	Liberal–National Coalition
Colours	Blue
Legislative Assembly	52 / 93
House of Representatives	16 / 30 (Queensland seats)
Senate	4 / 12 (Queensland seats)
Brisbane City Council	20 / 27
Politics of Australia Political parties

The Liberal National Party of Queensland (LNP) is a big political party in Queensland, Australia. It was created 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.

LNP politicians who work in the national parliament usually join either the Liberal or National party groups there. The LNP is connected to both the national Liberal Party and the national National Party.

The LNP first tried to win an election in 2009 but lost. They won for the first time in 2012. They won 78 out of 89 seats, which was a huge win in Queensland's parliament. Campbell Newman became the first LNP Premier of Queensland. However, the LNP government lost the next election in 2015. Since 1989, the LNP and the parties it came from have only been in power for 5 years. They won again in the 2024 Queensland state election, taking power from the Labor government.

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 usually stronger in cities, and the National Party is stronger in country areas. This helps them win more seats together against the Australian Labor Party.

Queensland is different from other states. Many people live in regional cities like Toowoomba and Townsville, not just in the capital city, Brisbane. Because of this, the National Party was often stronger in Queensland than the Liberal Party. They had more seats and were the main partner in their group.

Over the years, the two parties tried to join forces a few times but it didn't last. In the 1970s, the National Party started trying to win votes in cities too. This caused more competition with the Liberals.

In 1983, the Liberals stopped working with the Nationals. The Nationals then governed alone for a while.

Changes to Queensland's Voting System

In 1992, the way people voted changed. This made it harder for the Liberal and National parties to win if they ran against each other. Also, more seats in parliament were now in Brisbane. It became very hard to win enough seats to form a government without winning many seats in Brisbane. The Labor Party often won many seats in Brisbane, which helped them stay in power for a long time.

By the early 2000s, many people in both parties felt that joining together would help them win more seats. It would stop them from competing against each other and make it easier to win 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 wanted the merger to happen.

The LNP was officially created on July 26, 2008. The first meeting of the new party happened right after both parties approved the merger.

After the merger, the LNP 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 more seats but still lost to Labor. They only won six seats in Brisbane. After this, Springborg stepped down as leader. John-Paul Langbroek became the new leader. He was from the Liberal side of the merger.

In 2011, Campbell Newman, who was the Lord Mayor of Brisbane, decided to run for parliament. He said he would challenge Langbroek for the party leadership. Langbroek and Springborg resigned. Jeff Seeney became the temporary leader while Newman prepared to lead the party into the 2012 state election.

The 2012 election was a huge win for the LNP. Newman led them to a landslide victory. They won 78 seats, which was the biggest majority government in Queensland's history. The LNP won almost all the seats in Brisbane. Newman became Premier, leading the first non-Labor majority government in 23 years.

However, in the 2015 state election, the LNP lost its majority. This was a surprise to many. Labor gained many seats, and Newman even lost his own seat. He then left politics. Springborg became leader again, but Labor formed a minority government.

On May 6, 2016, Tim Nicholls became the new leader. He was from the Liberal side of the merger. Deb Frecklington became his deputy. Nicholls led the party to another loss in the November 2017 state election. He then stepped down. Frecklington became the leader in December 2017, with Tim Mander as her deputy.

Under Frecklington's leadership, the LNP lost badly in the 2020 state election. They only won five seats in Brisbane. Frecklington decided to step down. David Crisafulli became the LNP leader on November 12, 2020. David Janetzki became his deputy.

The LNP won the 2024 state election. This was their first win since 2012 and only their second win ever as a party.

How the LNP Works at a National Level

The LNP has had a Deputy Prime Minister in the past. Warren Truss, who was the national Nationals leader, was a member of the LNP.

In February 2022, before the 2022 national election, the LNP had 29 members in the national parliament. 21 of them sat with the Liberals, and 8 sat with the Nationals.

Usually, LNP members from Brisbane and the Gold Coast join the Liberal group in the national parliament. Those from country areas usually join the Nationals.

Sometimes, the LNP has thought about forming its own separate group in the national parliament. If they did, they would be the second-largest party in the main group of parties and might have a claim to the Deputy Prime Minister's job.

After the 2022 election, Peter Dutton from Queensland became the national leader of the Liberals. David Littleproud from Queensland became the national leader of the Nationals. This was the first time that LNP members led both of the main national parties that work together.

Election Results

National Elections

Election	Votes	Queensland		Australia		+/–	Status	Senate
		%	Seats	%	Seats			+/-
2010	1,130,525	47.4	21 / 30	9.1	21 / 150	21	Opposition	41.4	3 / 6	0
2013	1,152,217	45.7	22 / 30	8.9	22 / 150	1	Coalition	41.4	3 / 6	0
2016	1,153,736	43.2	21 / 30	8.5	21 / 150	1	Coalition	35.3	5 / 12	1
2019	1,236,401	43.7	23 / 30	8.7	23 / 151	2	Coalition	38.9	3 / 6	1
2022	1,172,515	39.6	21 / 30	8.0	21 / 151	2	Opposition	35.2	2 / 6	1
2025	1,094,401	35.2	16 / 30	8.0	16 / 151	5	Opposition	30.9	2 / 6	1

State Elections

Election	Leader	Votes	%	Seats	+/–	Status
2009	Lawrence Springborg	987,018	41.6	34 / 89	34	Opposition
2012	Campbell Newman	1,214,402	49.6	78 / 89	44	Majority
2015		1,083,983	41.3	42 / 89	36	Opposition
2017	Tim Nicholls	911,019	33.7	39 / 93	3	Opposition
2020	Deb Frecklington	1,029,442	35.9	34 / 93	5	Opposition
2024	David Crisafulli	1,289,556	41.6	52 / 93	18	Majority

Party Leadership

Leaders of the LNP

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 (2023–2024)
							Crisafulli (2024-present)

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

Presidents of the LNP

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

See also

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