The Squiz

After nearly 9 years in the top job, Queensland’s Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk called it quits, announcing she will step down as premier this week and leave the parliament by the end of December. “I have given everything, but now is the time for me to find out what else life has to offer,” she said through tears yesterday. Palaszczuk was the first woman to become a state premier from opposition and the first to win 3 elections. Yesterday, she said that “standing up for the people of Queensland has been the honour of my life.” 

What did she do with her time at the top? 

Palaszczuk was first elected Queensland’s premier back in 2015, which she said was “like climbing Mount Everest” because Labor held 7 out of 89 seats going into that campaign against the Liberal-National Party (LNP) and Campbell Newman. For that win and the 2 that followed, PM Anthony Albanese said that Palaszczuk would retire a “Labor hero”. She was also a hero to the state’s sports nuts after leading a successful bid to host the 2032 Olympic Games. And let’s not forget COVID – Palaszczuk’s hardline approach to the state’s closed border was a feature of those times. But in recent months there have been persistent murmurings about her leadership as moves to crack down on youth crime tarnished her popularity. In early December, one poll had her net likeability at negative 17…

What happens next?

Palaszczuk has endorsed her deputy Steven Miles, saying he’d “make an excellent premier”. But Miles isn’t the only name in the race – Treasurer Cameron Dick and Health Minister Shannon Fentiman are also in the mix. Queensland’s Labor MPs will meet tonight to kick off proceedings to find a replacement. Whoever wins will have a tough run in next year’s October state election – a recent poll put the LNP at 37% support, with Labor at 33%. The LNP leader is David Crisafulli – yesterday, he said that Palaszczuk’s time as the state’s leader “deserves acknowledgement and respect”.