Barnaby Joyce recognises defeat

Updated: 21:29, Saturday March 21, 2009

Federal Nationals Leader Senator Barnaby Joyce admits that Labor has secured a 5th term, defeating the Liberal National Party in the Queensland election.

'We haven't won the election, but we haven't gone,' Senator Joyce told Sky News. 'We're obviously picking up seats.'

'The courage now comes in the conviction of taking the government on,' he added.

'If we don't take the government on, this debt that we're currently got is just going to go out of control.'

Senator Joyce says while the result is disappointing, he remains convinced that the creation of the LNP in 2008 was central to bringing the fight to Premier Anna Bligh on the campaign trail.

'If we didn't have the LNP tonight, then I would have got a movie out because I would have known what the result would have been,' he said.