Labor: Where did we go wrong?

Federal Labor is ramping up the blame game after its bloodbath in Queensland, with another senior figure pointing the finger at the Bligh government.

Communications Minister Stephen Conroy has blamed voter anger with state Labor governments in Queensland and NSW for federal Labor's failure to form a majority government.

"Clearly the NSW government, clearly the Queensland government's performance have been factors at play," Senator Conroy told ABC radio today.

Premier Anna Bligh is yet to comment on the election result, which cost Labor at least eight seats in Queensland and saw it suffer a two-party preferred swing of five per cent - more than twice the national swing.

She attended a cabinet meeting this morning and is later expected to face the media, when she'll be grilled about claims her unpopular government was a big factor in federal Labor's drubbing in Queensland.

Shorten: ALP suffered in proxy state election

Senator Conroy's comments echoed those of parliamentary secretary Bill Shorten, who on Sunday said federal Labor had suffered the effects of proxy state elections in NSW and Queensland.

"Labor's losses were not uniform across Australia," he said.

"I think what happened last night is that the Liberal-National party won a proxy state election in Queensland and NSW."

The Victorian powerbroker, who played an instrumental role in ousting Kevin Rudd, also pointed to coalition "attack ads" associating federal Labor with the two unpopular state governments.

Shorten also said the leaks in the second and third weeks of the campaign "sucked a lot of the oxygen" out of the campaign debate.

"States issues and the leaks made it very hard for us to do any better than we did," Mr Shorten told ABC Television on Sunday.

Beattie: Let's avoid a Labor ruckus

Earlier on Monday, former Queensland premier Peter Beattie insisted Ms Bligh's job was safe, after the state opposition said she'd likely be lucky to survive another six months in the job.

"Any moves against Anna Bligh would certainly not be in the interest in the state or the national Labor party," Mr Beattie told the ABC.

"The reason being is at a time when the government is trying to form a minority government with the support of independents the worse thing that could happen is a ruckus."

'Attack ads confused voters'

But the Gillard government's minister for sustainable population

Tony Burke said federal Labor must listen to the message delivered by Queensland voters.

"I've got to say I'm reluctant to go down the blame state Labor path," he told the ABC on Monday.

He said the Coalition ran a lot of ads that tried to mix state Labor issues with federal ones, and "maybe in some people's minds that happened".

"But as a general rule I do think people vote on the ballot papers in front of them," Mr Burke said.

"I also have a view that when people send you a message, even if it's a mixed one, best to just take it on the chin. Even if part of it was other levels of government, or other issues, best still to say we'll act as though the message was sent to us directly."

'Bligh is toxic'

Federal Liberal National Party members returned in Saturday's election have said Ms Bligh's time is up.

"Anna Bligh is pretty toxic in Queensland, and people will vote at any level of government to try to have her removed in Queensland," the LNP's Bowman MP Andrew Laming said.

"Anna Bligh is finished," said the LNP's Peter Dutton, who was returned in Dickson.

Comment was being sought from Ms Bligh.

On Sunday Labor strategist Bruce Hawker said Labor needed to "take a long hard" look at its election campaign, noting the impact of the party's dumping of former prime minister Kevin Rudd for Julia Gillard on voter support for Labor.

"There are a large number of people, particularly in Queensland, who are very unhappy with the manner in which the prime minister was removed."

"We have to take that on board."

But Bill Shorten refused to blame the party's decision to dump former prime minister Kevin Rudd for Julia Gillard for Labor's performance on Saturday.

"Labor's losses were not uniform across Australia," he said, adding regional factors played a very big role.

McKew blamed Rudd ousting

Former Labor darling Maxine McKew blamed the loss of her NSW seat of Bennelong on the government's failure to live up to its promises on emissions trading and the ousting of former prime minister Kevin Rudd.

"Well, you cannot have a Labor leader removed within two months of an election for it not to have significant ramifications, so clearly that was a factor," she told the ABC.

She also pointed to voter cynicism over a $2.6 billion election pledge to build a rail line linking the northwest federal electorate and Sydney's western suburbs.

"I think given the on-again, off-again nature of transport commitments in this city, we are battling uphill to convince people of the credibility of that commitment."

"The Parramatta railway line, that was seen as such a transparent and insincere gesture," she told reporters…. It was a hollow promise from a desperate person trying to buy five marginal seats."

Maxine McKew lost her seat to the Liberal's John Alexander.