Anna Bligh made history by becoming the first woman in Australia to be elected premier, taking Labor to its fifth consecutive win in Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's home state of Queensland.

Both sides of federal politics acknowledged federal issues played little part in the election result but the win still provided a boost for Labor and yet more disappointment for the Coalition.

Mr Rudd lauded Ms Bligh's ''gutsy'' performance and said it was a great day for women in Queensland and around Australia.

As in elections last year in the Northern Territory, the ACT and Western Australia, state issues decided the outcome.

''In the period I've been Prime Minister, we've had four state and territory elections the Labor Party has won three, we've lost one,'' Mr Rudd said.

''In each of those I've said these have been overwhelmingly determined on the basis of state and territory issues and I think that's my view of this one as well.''

Ms Bligh said being premier was ''not even a distant possibility'' when she was a girl. ''When I was growing up on the Gold Coast, being a Member of Parliament was not on my radar,'' she said.

The election of a female premier was a reflection on Queenslanders, rather than her, she said.

''I was asked many times whether Queensland was ready for a woman premier,'' she said.

''Queenslanders have shown that they'll make a decision about someone on the basis of what their talents and abilities and merits are.''

Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull noted the positives of the result the conservatives had improved on previous performances and taken seats from Labor.

But he admitted he would've liked them to have done better. ''The problem that Lawrence Springborg had was that he was so far behind to begin with,'' Mr Turnbull said.

''He needed an heroic, a gigantic swing to win government. That was always unlikely that he would achieve that in one election.''