For the first time in Australian history a Torres Strait Islander will serve as a member of parliament.

Key points: Cynthia Lui makes history as the new member for Cook

Cynthia Lui makes history as the new member for Cook She spent most of her life on the Yam Island in the remote northern Torres Strait

She spent most of her life on the Yam Island in the remote northern Torres Strait Queensland's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population is the second-largest in the country

While there is a celebration of the historic election there are also calls for the major parties to do more to ensure there is adequate Indigenous parliamentary representation.

Cynthia Lui spent most of her life on Yam Island in the remote northern Torres Strait, and has just made history as the new member for the vast far north Queensland electorate of Cook.

"Every step was a milestone for me as a Torres Strait Islander, and getting to this point now is just the most significant step in the history of Australia, I believe, because I am the first Torres Strait Islander to enter Parliament," she said.

"I am proud, I am excited, emotional, but I think there are lots of good days ahead."

The mother-of-three now lives on the mainland in Cairns, where she has seen some of the major issues facing Indigenous communities in her career as a social worker.

"Growing up on a remote Indigenous community, I experienced a lot of the challenges with remote living," she said.

"My work took me across the Cook electorate, working with families in child protection, and I want to give back to my community and get better outcomes for communities."

She credits her family for helping her to victory. Her relatives pitched in to help her in the campaign across the vast electorate, which covers north of Cairns, Cape York and the Torres Strait.

"I had to rely on my family to do a lot of the hard work out there. The best part about growing on an island, you have families always looking out for each other and extending that support that's needed," she said.

Queensland's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population is the second-largest in the country, but in the history of the state's parliament there have only been four Indigenous MPs, including Ms Lui.

It was not until the previous state election in 2015 that the first Aboriginal woman, Leanne Enoch, was elected.

"It just seemed like that had taken too long, it is absolutely essential, as we start to grow up as a nation and as we progress as a state, you need to have perspectives that are representative of everybody's lives," she said.

"That's what you need in your caucus, that's we you need in your government."

Cynthia Lui credits her family for helping her to victory. ( Supplied )

Inspiring the next generation of Indigenous politicians

Ms Enoch said the major parties needed to ensure they were fostering pathways for Indigenous people to become politicians at a state and federal level.

She said that included setting firm targets about Indigenous representation.

"For me, I really believe you need to put some deliberate structures in place," she said.

"The Labor Party in particular, we've already set some targets around what that needs to look like, we are moving towards those.

"There will be some deeper conversation, I imagine, at some state conventions that will be ahead of us."

Mayor of the Torres Strait Regional Council Fred Gela said he was confident Ms Lui's election would inspire the next generation of Torres Strait Islanders to consider a future in politics.

"It is an achievement for the Torres Strait region, we'll be celebrating across the whole width and breadth of this region. This is a new beginning. There will be lots more," he said.

"It'll definitely inspire a lot of our youth, in terms of affecting and controlling our destiny. This is what we've been encouraging and advocating for.

"We do have people, youth that have been inspired enough to look at this as a career path."