Annastacia Palaszczuk will lead Queensland for a third term

When Annastacia Palaszczuk pulled off a surprise election victory in 2015, some called her the "accidental Premier".

But now Queenslanders have chosen her as their leader for a third term.

After an electoral bloodbath with Campbell Newman's landslide LNP victory in 2012, all that was left of Labor was a meagre seven Queensland MPs.

The running joke was that the entire Labor caucus could fit into a mini-van.

As the most experienced politician in that mini-van, Ms Palaszczuk became their leader.

She was elected unopposed at a time when many pundits expected Labor to languish in the political wilderness for multiple terms, such was the magnitude of the LNP win.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and her father Henry, who formally held her seat, in the Inala Plaza in Brisbane's south-west, in 2016. ( ABC News: Lexy Hamilton-Smith )

But just three years later, Queensland voters delivered another shock.

In 2015, the electoral pendulum swung dramatically back the other way and Queenslanders handed Mr Newman a crushing defeat after a controversial single term in office.

Ms Palaszczuk formed a minority government, with the support of Independent MP Peter Wellington, and became the first woman in Australian history to become a state Premier from opposition.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk is seen celebrating victory with her family at the Blue Fin Fishing Club in Brisbane. ( AAP: Darren England )

In 2017, Ms Palaszczuk won another term in office, and this time Labor gained a majority to govern in its own right.

With a total of 48 seats, Labor secured a slender two seat majority in the Queensland parliament.

The introduction of fixed parliamentary terms meant the usual election date guessing games were over, and everyone knew the timing of the next Queensland poll — October 31, 2020.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk (L) with her mother Lorelle at the Ekka in Brisbane, in 2017. ( AAP: Stuart Layt )

This was the date politicians and parties would work towards.

The Government gave final environmental approvals for the controversial Adani coal mine in central Queensland and decriminalised abortion.

There were highly publicised child safety scandals.

But possibly the biggest and most damaging distraction was integrity questions over one of Labor's most powerful figures — Jackie Trad.

No findings were made against her, but Ms Trad eventually resigned as Deputy Premier.

Jackie Trad resigned as Deputy Premier earlier in 2020 after questions over her involvement in the recruitment of a school principal. ( ABC News: Nick Wiggins )

On January 21, a Brisbane man who had returned from Wuhan in China tested positive for coronavirus.

By January 29, the Queensland Government had declared a public health emergency.

Annastacia Palaszczuk worked closely with Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young. ( ABC News: Christopher Gillette )

On March 13, a 77-year-old Sunshine Coast woman became the state's first death from COVID-19.

Chief Health Officer (CHO) Jeannette Young warned up to one-in-four people could be infected over the next six months.

There were dire predictions of 10,000 deaths in the first wave.

In the months that followed, Queenslanders' lives changed dramatically.

Children were home-schooled, businesses and borders closed.

Aged care homes went into lockdown.

The Premier, CHO and Health Minister Steven Miles gave daily updates.

For a time, the pandemic swept aside politics.

But as Queensland's economy waned and job losses grew, frustrations emerged over border closures, quarantine measures and people who could not attend funerals while footballers continued to play.

Queensland COVID-19 snapshot: Confirmed cases so far: 1,172

Confirmed cases so far: 1,172 Deaths: 6

Tests conducted: 1,239,418 Active cases: 5 Latest information from Queensland Health.

The Prime Minister, senior federal Coalition MPs and the New South Wales Liberal Premier all weighed in.

Premier Palaszczuk was up for the fight.

"I stood strong on behalf of the people of this state," she said repeatedly during the election campaign.

"I stared down relentless attacks when it came to Queensland's borders and I don't apologise for any of it", she told her 195,000 followers on Facebook.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk held daily press conferences with Health Minister and Deputy Premier Steven Miles. ( ABC News: Tim Swanston )

By yesterday, the total number of Queensland deaths from coronavirus remained at six.

There have been 1,172 infections and four cases are considered active.

The worst predictions were not realised and the Premier based much of her re-election bid around that success.

"As Premier, I had to take some tough decisions," she said on day one of the campaign.

"Keeping Queenslanders safe will always be my number one priority."

Annastacia Palaszczuk is the first female party leader to win three elections.

By mid-2021, she will become the longest-serving Australian female head of government, passing the Northern Territory's Clare Martin.

Annastacia Palaszczuk as a child and as an adult. ( Supplied: Annastacia Palaszczuk and AAP )

By mid-2024 (just a few months shy of the next state election), she will pass Peter Beattie's record and become Labor's longest-serving Premier since World War II.

By which time the "accidental premier" will be a Labor legend.