All the Queensland election results are finally in and the seat of Barron River stays with government, with Labor and with me for another term.

I have also been honoured to accept Anna Bligh's appointment as the Parliamentary Secretary for Tourism. (More about that below)

There were some interesting features of this election in Barron River. Once again, green preferences determined the outcome.

Labor's primary vote increased from 41.56% in 2006 to 43.25%
Labor achieved 52.32% of the two party preferred vote.
Although there was a state-wide swing to the LNP of 4.5%, in Barron River we did well to contain the swing to 2.82%

As in previous elections, Machans beach ( 26.08%) and Kuranda (20.71%) had the highest green vote while Brinsmead (8.96%) and Whitfield(8.44%) had the lowest
The average proportion of green preferences flowing to Labor has increased from 67% in 2004 to 79% in 2009 however the exhaustion rate remains significant at 33%
Barron River is now the third most marginal seat in the state.

These results reflect consistently high voter concern about the environment and an acceptance that Labor's credentials and policies were far superior to the LNP. I will continue to place a high priority on environment issues in my second term.

The economy and employment security also played a key part in the election outcome with voters preferring Labors's approach of protecting jobs compared with the LNP's policies to cut jobs.

Overall, the message I have taken from the election is that although Queenslanders did not think the time was right to change their government, they do want Anna Bligh's Labor Team to be a better government. And that is what I will be striving for over the next three years.

In my new role as Parliamentary Secretary for Tourism, I will be looking for every opportunity to promote and support the development of a sustainable tourism industry throughout Queensland.

Already I have met with some key tourism operators and the CEO and staff at Tourism Tropical North Qld, brought the new Minister for Tourism to Cairns, and I am working on ways to implement some of the key recommendations of two recent major reports into the regional tourism industry.

I have also pledged my support for the development of the Tablelands as a major mountain biking and cycling destination and for new ways to promote Queensland and our region as Australia's premier bird watching destination.

I am also considering the best way I can work toward the development of indigenous tourism ventures and ensure government support is timely and appropriate for the unique circumstances that face indigenous businesses.

I expect that our government's election commitment to fund the first stage of the Dreaming Track project will also be a priority for me over the next three years and I am looking forward to meeting with key local groups to take this great project towards reality.

In conclusion, I would like to thank all those who voted for me at the election and gave me a further opportunity to serve the people of the Barron River electorate in this historic government - led for the first time ever by a woman.

I think all elected representatives like to think of their victory as a resounding endorsement of their suitability for the job, their individual performance, their achievements and the worthiness of their policies and plans for the future.

I know that the reality in marginal seats is that nearly as many people who voted for you wanted someone else. So victories need to be humble and tempered by the reality of the numbers.

Once election campaigns are over, the party politicking can take a spell in the back seat as we get on with the job of doing the best we possibly can for all our constituents and our region.

It is an honour and a privilege to once again be the member for Barron River.