No surreptitious scrolling or pen fidgeting as their lecturer takes them through the mechanics of policy, cabinet subcommittees and the responsibilities of ministers, and jokes that their questions are “better than any I ever faced from the opposition”.

Because their lecturer is former Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, in her new role as adjunct professor at UQ’s School of Political Science and International Studies.

And, observing Professor Palaszczuk’s performance from a back row of this lecture theatre, it’s clear that the one-time state Labor leader is having an absolute ball.

Throwing up slides (the first is of a beaming Palaszczuk fronting her 2015 ministry), throwing out questions: “Who can tell me what the role of the CBRC (Cabinet Budget Review Committee) is?”

Palaszczuk also delivers some observations of her own – “I think the best political performer I’ve seen would have to be Paul Keating at Question Time, he was unbelievable” – and answering some of the cheekier students’ questions with a seasoned “no comment”.

This is Palaszczuk, 55, unplugged, freed from the confines of politics, the former premier is relaxed and approachable (after this lecture there will be a long line of students waiting their turn for a selfie) in the role she says she wanted so much, she volunteered for it.

After the last student has had their photo opportunity with their lecturer, Palaszczuk sits behind her desk in her UQ office with “Annastacia Palaszczuk – Adjunct Professor” printed on a small card on its door and reflects on her return to the university where she was a law student in the ’80s.

“All throughout my own political career, I always had in the back of my mind that after politics I would like to give back and do some lecturing or tutoring in politics voluntarily, because when I went through university there weren’t many politicians or ministers or premiers that came through to talk to us, and I thought wouldn’t it be great if there was that experience for today’s students.

“I just felt very strongly that politics had given me so much, I did want to give something back and I felt that perhaps I did have something to offer in that department.”

Palaszczuk pauses.

“So when I saw the University of Queensland was advertising for lecturers, I reached out and asked if I could do that, as a voluntary guest lecturer, and they said, ‘Oh no, we want you to become an adjunct professor’, and I am just so thrilled with that.”

Adjunct professorships are offered to people who have extensive knowledge and practical experiences in a particular academic field. The role is voluntary and, in Palaszczuk’s case, is an initial three-year tenureship, which will also involve mentoring undergraduate and postgraduate students.

Palaszczuk, who holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Laws from UQ, a Master of Arts (Hons) from the University of London and a Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice from the Australian National University, says she hopes to encourage more young people to enter politics.

“I just would love to see more women involved in the political process,” she says.

“It doesn’t have to be working in government, it could be in campaigns, or policy, there are so many jobs within that world. But it’s not only women, of course. We really need good people – both men and women – in politics and that is reflected across all parties, I really want to encourage the students in that direction.”

How she intends to do that is through a full week of lecturing across several subjects once a semester, but also through what she hopes will be a steady stream of students walking through her office door for “a cup of tea, a chat, some advice – anything they need, really” for a half day or one day every fortnight, depending on her own schedule.

“That part will be informal mentoring, I will make myself available for them to drop in, and what I would like to do is help students not just find their career path, but also their confidence.

“The one thing I learnt in all these years is that confidence is key, and not everybody has it, it can be taught and I hope I can do that for someone.”

Palaszczuk will also be providing formal mentoring to students enrolled in the school’s International Studies’ Master programs.

Qweekend also observed Palaszczuk lead a mentoring round table with invited students from the Master of Governance and Public Policy program, and Master of International Relations and Master of Peace and Conflict Studies.

All women of various ages and nationalities, one of them commented at an informal afternoon tea afterwards: “I really didn’t think a former premier would take the time to talk to us, you just don’t see that.”

But for Palaszczuk, who has long championed women in politics, her new role is the practical application of the phrase, “You can’t be what you don’t see.”

“When I was studying law here, we often would have barristers or solicitors who would come and talk to us about the profession, but in political science you don’t really see that often enough. And I think it’s really helpful to have someone who has actually done it to be able to say, ‘Well, here’s how you do it. Here’s how you can get involved, here’s how you can forge a career path, here’s how to create policy, here’s how to create legislation.’”

Here, in other words, is indeed The Art of Government, taught by someone who – regardless of which side of the political fence you are on – is a bona fide expert in it.

As Australia’s longest-serving female government leader, she is also an excellent role model for women wanting a career in politics, which brings us back to that first slide, and Palaszczuk’s reason for showing it.

They’re all there, up on the screen, a (some would say rogue’s) gallery of past and present Labor ministers from Palaszczuk’s history-making 2015 cabinet, including Jackie Trad, Kate Jones, Yvette D’Ath, and an impossibly young looking Steven Miles.

Pointing to the slide behind her, Palaszczuk tells her class: “So when I was a student here – when I was sitting where you are sitting today, in a lecture theatre at UQ – there were nine women in the Queensland parliament, and today (there have been 100 women elected to Queensland parliament).

“This photo is of our cabinet in 2015 which was 50 per cent female, which was a first, and it changed the way we govern. It changed what was on the political agenda and it changed people’s thoughts about what a government looked like.”

Palaszczuk’s victory at that 2015 election also, of course, changed her own professional and political life.

Ousting Campbell Newman as premier, she was the first woman in Australian history to become a state premier from opposition. She would hold that title for a record nine years, retiring in 2023 as Australia’s longest-serving female premier and perhaps its most underestimated one.

Long dubbed The Accidental Premier, by the time she left politics she had proved her political mettle, and no longer had to teach journalists how to spell her name by endlessly – and patiently – repeating: “It’s Pala, Sydney zoo, Canberra zoo, UK.”

She had survived two elections, the winds of political change, the Covid pandemic (which she described to the students as “probably the toughest challenge of my career, I really felt the weight of it”) and all the slings and arrows aimed at those who choose public service.

Does she miss it?

There is a long pause as Palaszczuk considers the question.

“I don’t miss it. I mean, I miss parliament, and I miss the debate and I miss cabinet, making those big decisions and communicating those to the public but what I don’t miss outweighs that.

“I don’t miss the structure of it, having every minute of my time accounted for, and for months ahead, I don’t miss every Sunday reading the cabinet bag, or just the general demands of the role. It is such a rewarding job and such a privilege, but really once you’ve been premier for nine years, where else do you go?”

Well, in Palaszczuk’s case, you go to the movies, you go to the beach, and you spend your weekends with family, friends and your partner of four years, Dr Reza Adib.

The couple have just returned from attending a 60th birthday party in New Zealand over Easter, a trip Palaszczuk says would have been “unthinkable” as premier.

“You never know what’s going to happen in Queensland over Easter,” she says, “So I would not have gone. Having weekends off with Reza has been lovely. When we went to the movies one Friday night, we sort of looked at each other and said, ‘Well this is nice.’

Post politics, it’s not all popcorn and walks on the beach for Palaszczuk. Far from it.

Along with her adjunct professorship, she has been writing her memoir, due out next year, has become a political commentator on Sky News, and also has a consultancy business. She is also an international ambassador for the Smart Energy Council, which she also chairs, and is on the Australia Post board.

It is, she says, “a good mix, I feel like I still have a lot more in the tank, and I like having the time to explore different professional options and opportunities.”

She also likes this office, which is albeit a lot smaller than the one Queensland’s premier – whoever it may be – works from in the so-called Tower of Power in George St.

That one is like an eagle’s nest, high atop the building, both luxurious and spacious. This one is decidedly cosier and a place where its occupant’s door really is always open.

“I want students to feel very relaxed here,” Palaszczuk says.

“I want to help with decisions about courses: Should I do a master’s degree? Should I change my major, what scholarships are available to me? You know, I walked through the Great Court earlier today and I just had this reflection of my younger self walking through it. I could see myself as that young girl.

“You come here full of drive and energy and wanting to change the world.

“You come here wanting to make your mark, make a difference and I asked myself: Did I do that? Did I do what I wanted to do back then? And I think I did, I think our progressive social policies did make a difference. So I was walking through the Great Court thinking about that girl, and I felt happy.”

Palaszczuk smiles widely, and adds, for the record, “I am happy.”