, ▁Lawrence ▁Spring borg , ▁announced ▁his ▁ret irement . ▁Lang bro ek ▁named ▁Spring borg ▁as ▁his ▁deput y . ▁ ▁Lang bro ek ' s ▁election ▁marked ▁the ▁first ▁time ▁in ▁ 8 4 ▁years ▁that ▁the ▁non - L abor ▁side ▁in ▁Queensland ▁had ▁been ▁led ▁by ▁someone ▁aligned ▁feder ally ▁with ▁the ▁Liber als ▁or ▁their ▁prede cess ors . ▁ ▁The ▁National s ▁have ▁histor ically ▁been ▁the ▁stronger ▁non - L abor ▁party ▁in ▁the ▁state , ▁and ▁had ▁been ▁the ▁dominant ▁partner ▁in ▁the ▁non - L abor ▁Co al ition ▁from ▁ 1 9 2 5 ▁until ▁the ▁formation ▁of ▁the ▁L NP ▁in ▁ 2 0 0 8 . ▁ ▁Pol ling ▁for ▁much ▁of ▁ 2 0 0 9 ▁and ▁ 2 0 1 0 ▁showed ▁the ▁L NP ▁ahead ▁of ▁Labor ▁on ▁the ▁two - party ▁vote , ▁and ▁Lang bro ek ▁consist ently ▁led ▁inc umb ent ▁Labor ▁Premier ▁Anna ▁Bl igh ▁as ▁preferred ▁premier . ▁However , ▁after ▁Labor ' s ▁numbers ▁reb ounded ▁in ▁the ▁w ake ▁of ▁the ▁Queensland ▁flo ods , ▁Lang bro ek ▁came ▁under ▁growing ▁pressure ▁from ▁the ▁L NP ' s ▁organis ational ▁wing ▁to ▁stand ▁down . ▁According ▁to ▁N ine ▁News ▁Queensland ' s ▁Sp encer ▁J olly , ▁L NP ▁president ▁Bruce ▁Mc I ver ▁was ▁trying ▁to ▁engineer ▁a ▁by - e lection ▁to ▁get ▁Br is b ane ▁Lord ▁Mayor ▁Campbell ▁New man , ▁also ▁from ▁the ▁Liberal ▁side