The path to re-election for Queensland Labor looks like a narrowing goat track after its ‘Super Saturday’ losses

The Queensland premier, Steven Miles, has acknowledged the swing against Labor in two byelections and local government elections on Saturday was ‘clearly very bad’. He said voters were ‘sending us a message’. Photograph: Darren England/AAP

Seven months before Campbell Newman was tossed from office by angry Queensland voters, he called a press conference, flanked by members of his cabinet, and apologised.

“I just want to say I am sorry today if we have done things that have upset people,” Newman said, days after his government was humbled, with a 19% swing, at a Brisbane byelection. “We will be doing a lot better in the future.”