Analysis: Palaszczuk a much diminished figure after Trad saga

Annastacia Palaszczuk emerges from the Jackie Trad scandal a much diminished figure, confirming it’s her deputy who’s really in charge, writes Steven Wardill.

LESS work, same wage isn’t much a penalty for Treasurer Jackie Trad to pay.

After all, while Trad might not have direct oversight of Cross River Rail any more, she will retain a seat at the Cabinet table, where all the major decisions on the $7 billion project will be made.

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And she’ll get to be acting premier from tonight, despite an excoriating dressing-down by Queensland’s corruption watchdog.

Extraordinary.

The person who will pay the highest price for Trad’s indiscretions will be Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk.

She emerges from Trad’s property purchase scandal a much diminished figure with a record on integrity that is arguably worse than any premier since Joh Bjelke-Petersen.

Her Government has already changed voting and donation laws to advantage itself politically.

Now Trad becomes the second minister after Mark Bailey to breach the ministerial code of conduct and not pay for it with her ministerial post.

It’s no coincidence both hail from the dominant Left faction.

Palaszczuk’s inability to force Trad out confirms that when push comes to shove in Queensland’s current Labor administration, it is actually the Treasurer who is in charge.

What other conclusion could be drawn after the Crime and Corruption Commission yesterday found Trad’s repeated failures to declare her property weren’t a crime, but should be?

This all works in Opposition Leader Deb Frecklington’s favour.

The debate to come about new laws to make what Trad did a offence will be a damaging distraction and keep this issue alive.

Trad’s continued presence as the Government’s second-in-charge will also serve as a constant reminder that under Palaszczuk Government there is no real price to be paid for integrity crime.

If the external perception problems of having an unpopular deputy that the premier can’t sack aren’t bad enough, the internal machinations just make it much worse.

Trad might have publicly picked contrition yesterday.

But she seems unperturbed by the fact she’s driven deep divisions within the Government by refusing to go.

Palaszczuk’s personal popularity and support for her Government was already slipping, according to The Courier-Mail’s latest YouGov Poll last weekend, which also showed most Queenslanders wanted Trad gone.

Now the Premier will have to limp along with a divisive deputy, a divided Caucus and a black mark against her over integrity.

Trad’s Cabinet career will continue, but this scandal could be the beginning of the end for the Palaszczuk Government.