As it happened: Brisbane on Friday, December 15

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The day was dominated by state politics with new Premier Steven Miles and his cabinet being sworn in. Here are some of the stories we were following:

• Miles has used his first major speech in the job to announce a significant boost to the state’s climate action plans and detail his initial priorities in the job.

Queensland Premier Steven Miles (right) and deputy Cameron Dick (left) arrive to speak to the mediaCredit: AAP

• Miles and Deputy Premier Cameron Dick have laid out part of their pitch to the state, and now they must fill out a new cabinet with five “fresh faces” – the most since Labor came to power in 2015.
• The new Queensland Premier is best known as being the Palaszczuk government’s attack dog, but those who know him say that reputation belies his introverted and intellectual personality.

In other news:

• A man has been accused of driving more than 100km/h over the speed limit and crashing into a house west of Brisbane.
• The judge presiding over Bruce Lehrmann’s high-stakes defamation case has asked prominent journalist Lisa Wilkinson if it was a good idea for Brittany Higgins’ partner to have been used as a “conduit” to Higgins as Network Ten researched her sexual assault claim.
• A man who refused to remove intimate deepfake images of Australian public figures he had posted online until after his arrest has been fined for contempt.
• Electricity retailers are failing to reward millions of their loyal customers and are instead prioritising growing their businesses, charging more for existing contracts and offering discounts worth hundreds of dollars only for new deals.

New Queensland Premier Steven Miles has used his first major speech in the job to announce a significant boost to the state’s climate action plans.

Fresh from the climate talks in Dubai, and touching on some of his other announcements this week, Miles said the state will legislate a 75 per cent reduction on 2005 levels by 2035, ahead of net zero by 2050.

The state is on track to meet its 30 per cent by 2030 target, one of the least ambitious in the country, by next year. All three will be written into law.

“I’m from the suburbs, but I’ll be a premier that unites the city and the bush, a premier that works for Queenslanders … right now, I want us to unite on the opportunity of decarbonisation,” he said.

“By legislating this target, we will create certainty for industry and for jobs. By legislating this target, we are making a very clear statement to the world that … Queensland is the place to do business if you’re looking to use clean energy to create prosperity.”

Tomahawks, knuckle dusters and butcher’s knives are among more than 400 weapons seized under new Queensland laws passed after a 17-year-old’s fatal stabbing.

Hammers, screwdrivers and hunting knives also featured in the hundreds of items found under expanded powers for police to stop and search people this year.

Queensland police are increasingly using metal detection wands to scan for knives and other weapons.Credit: Queensland Police Service

Police are allowed to use a metal detecting wand in night precincts, transit hubs and public transport under Jack’s Law, which was passed in March.

The legislation was introduced by the Queensland government in response to the tragic stabbing death of 17-year-old Jack Beasley on the Gold Coast in 2019.

In eight months under Jack’s Law, almost 3500 handheld wanding operations have been conducted across Queensland and more than 39,000 people scanned.

Police said it had led to 1070 people being charged with almost 1900 offences, predominantly for weapon and drug matters.

Steven Miles and Cameron Dick are now officially the Premier and Deputy Premier of Queensland.

Attending a formal ceremony at Government House in Paddington, the pair were sworn-in to their roles by Governor Jeannette Young with family and colleagues present.

Miles will shed the Olympics portfolio his predecessor Annastacia Palaszczuk also took on to do the top job and that alone.

Dick will remain as Treasurer, along with Trade and Investment Minister.

He will also pick up Miles’ old portfolios of State Development, Infrastructure, Local Government and Planning.

Speaker Curtis Pitt has officially tabled outgoing premier Annastacia Palaszczuk’s resignation letter in parliament.

The letter, received by the Speaker’s office on Wednesday, was tabled on Friday.

In it, Palaszczuk confirms her last day as a state MP would be Sunday, December 31.

“It has been a great honour to serve the Inala electorate community since 9 September 2006 and I take this opportunity [to] wish them and all Queenslanders the very best for the future,” Palaszczuk wrote.

Both Miles and Dick gave some opening comments before taking their first questions as the new Labor leadership team.

There’ll be more to come from Miles in a speech this afternoon, and once the roles of cabinet members are hashed out over the weekend, but here are some other key takeaways:

• The MPs at the meeting unanimously passed a resolution thanking Annastacia Palaszczuk for her leadership and achievements as premier over the last nine years.
• Dick spoke of the party wanting to protect Queenslanders from threats, naming this week’s cyclone and “David Crisafulli and the LNP” – a sentiment also echoed by Miles.
• Asked what he wanted to define his leadership, Miles painted himself of as “ultimately, a suburban Queensland dad with three kids”. “I want to demonstrate to [Queenslanders] that I understand what concerns them in their day-to-day lives and how government can help them and support them.”
• Miles also flagged the return of a pandemic-era consultation forum he intends to set up to hear from businesses, community leaders, First Nations leaders and unions about their ideas for the state.

He and Dick will travel to Government House now to be sworn in by Governor Jeannette Young before Miles’ speech.

Steven Miles has given his first media conference as Queensland’s premier, flanked by his deputy Cameron Dick, brief leadership challenger Shannon Fentiman and senior minister Grace Grace.

The group were joined by most of the rest of the Labor caucus (minus outgoing leader Annastacia Palaszczuk and a few others) and what Miles said would be five new ministers elevated to cabinet.

Steven Miles gives his first press conference after being elected by caucus as leader.Credit: Matt Dennien

These “fresh faces” will include Nikki Boyd, Bart Mellish, Lance McCallum, Michael Healy and Charis Mullen.

Their elevation will also bring new MPs into the assistant ministry: Ali King, Shane King, Jimmy Sullivan, Jennifer Howard and Corrine McMillan.

Child Safety Minister Craig Crawford will join Mark Bailey, Stirling Hinchliffe and Palaszczuk departing cabinet.

Miles said this was the largest refresh of cabinet since Labor came to power in 2015.

“I want Queenslanders to know that they have a government that’s on their side, that is listening to them, that understands what concerns them and is delivering for them,” he said.

Chief government whip Don Brown has just emerged from the Labor caucus meeting to confirm the expected.

Steven Miles has been elected unopposed by his colleagues as the new leader of the Labor Party in Queensland parliament, and therefore the new premier. Cameron Dick is his deputy.

Chief government whip Don Brown emerges from the Labor caucus.Credit: Matt Dennien

Queensland’s state Labor MPs are gathering for a type of caucus meeting not seen in more than decade: signing off on a new leader, and premier.

Steven Miles and Cameron Dick are presenting themselves to what is expected to be most of their 52-person partyroom as the new leader and deputy, after the resignation of Annastacia Palaszczuk.

Queensland Labor meets to sign off on Steven Miles as their new leader and premier.Credit: Matt Dennien

The new leadership team was greeted with applause and hugs, in a rare instance journalists were allowed into such a meeting.

After the meeting, this is what we’re expecting for the rest of the day:

• Miles and Dick will travel to Government House in Paddington to be sworn into their new leadership roles by Queensland Governor Jeannette Young
• Miles will then hold a press conference in the early afternoon where he is expected to detail changes to cabinet and outline his new government’s agenda

After Brisbane Times confirmed last month the state government only ever supported “the intent” of the 78 sweeping calls from the damning 2022 inquiry into Queensland police, and considered their detailed timeline “arbitrary”, we now have the latest progress report.

It shows that only 21 (just over one-quarter) have been delivered, as signed-off by the independent figure overseeing the cross-government progress, 50 of them are under way, and seven haven’t been started.

Under the detailed timeline laid out by inquiry boss, judge Deborah Richards, to ensure the recommendations achieved timely change in November last year, only nine had deadlines longer than 12 months.

One of the priorities singled out by Richards for a new police integrity unit to oversee complaints against officers within 18 months. This has been a sticking-point with police and the union, and now headed to a “working group” to thrash it out further.

“While the Government supports the intent of the recommendations, in some instances the timeframes nominated by the COI are challenging given the significant and simultaneous domestic and family violence reforms that Government is embarking on,” the progress report says.