Couple of things.
The gerrymander wasn't like a boundary redistribution. It weighted rural votes more heavily than urban votes.
Preferential voting even optional preferential is a debatable system. Consider indooroopilly where the LNP is streets ahead on primaries but it'll be a tustle between the greens and labour who will win the seat.
They have already raised registration, that was in the mini budget, although there are rumous of another hit. Mine's just arrived and it's up $70.
I, like everyone else, am shocked at the return, but it did occur to me last week that as the reality bit at the voting booth hands would shake and take the "safe" option. Springborg had made big inroads into his image but he's still basically unelectable. The conseravtives didn't shoot themselves down this time but they didn't really get any traction either.
While Bligh is utterly repulsive, corrupt and as mentioned incompetant, most people think better the disaster your used to in difficult times than someone who might possibly if they try hard enough make an even bigger mess of it.
They lost the election mostly in Brisbane. Perhaps if they had run drive time ads on radio pointing out the labour gov has had 11 years to fix our roads and done basically nothing it might have reminded eveyone how hopeless labour is.
Oh well. If I could find some where else nice to move to I'd be out of here in a jiffy. What's the central coast of WA like ?