Qld politics 2020: Labor had the edge in year of the pandemic

Amid the pandemic pandemonium, Queensland politics was not without scandals, and of course an election, in 2020, writes Domanii Cameron.

It is hard to believe it has been about 11 months since Annastacia Palaszczuk called her first COVID-19 press conference.

With cases beginning to escalate, forcing unprecedented restrictions on Queenslanders, the Premier held daily press conferences flanked by her Health Minister and the Chief Health Officer.

The Premier’s team even began branding its live-streamed videos, viewed by thousands of Queenslanders every day, with her name (this now also features on the myriad of colourful infographics that get shared across social media).

But amid the pandemic pandemonium, the world of state politics was not without scandals and of course an election.

These are the major events (including some both sides would rather forget) that shaped 2020.

Aside from lockdowns and social distancing, the pandemic brought its own controversy for the political parties.

Former Labor MP Jo-Ann Miller. Picture: supplied

Member for Toowoomba North Trevor Watts resigned from the LNP frontbench after being fined for attending a “street party” with neighbours at the height of the pandemic.

The Premier also came under fire following revelations the government spent more than $500,000 on coronavirus polling to gauge Queenslander’s perspective on restrictions. The news came less than a month before the state election, but Ms Palaszczuk insisted the polling wouldn’t help Labor win.

And then there was the not-so-quiet resignation of LNP veteran MP Jann Stuckey. The then-Currumbin member announced she was quitting politics in late January.

While citing “ongoing ill-health” and the “black cloud” that’s “swamped me over and over again”, Stuckey said there was bullying in politics.

She later accused the LNP of operating in a cone of silence.

Then a month later, Parliament’s “tiger in the long grass” also called it quits.

Labor’s longest-serving MP Jo-Ann Miller, who was the member for Bundamba, announced she was resigning.

The two resignations prompted unwanted by-elections which were held on the same day as the council elections – March 28.

Former deputy premier and member for South Brisbane Jackie Trad. Picture: supplied

Perhaps the largest controversy of 2020 erupted on the morning of May 9 when the formidable Jackie Trad called a snap press conference to announce she was standing aside from her ministerial duties amid a corruption probe.

The then deputy premier had learnt the state’s corruption watchdog was investigating allegations she’d interfered in the recruitment process of a school principal in her electorate. Ms Trad resigned from the ministry the next day.

Two months later, the Crime and Corruption Commission cleared Ms Trad but savaged several public servants, with the Public Service Commission yet to finalise its review into whether any disciplinary action is needed.

In June, days of leaked internal polling, which revealed the LNP was trailing Labor in critical marginal seats and Ms Palaszczuk was more popular than Deb Frecklington, forced the Opposition Leader to declare she wasn’t going anywhere.

Staring down internal forces, Ms Frecklington declared she wouldn’t be bullied by “backroom boys”.

LNP frontbencher David Crisafulli ruled out a leadership challenge.

Then, following a year-long investigation, the CCC cleared the Premier’s former right-hand man David Barbagallo in September, but found he did not properly declare his non-pecuniary interests, even as one of his companies secured $267,500 of government investment to develop a cruise ship app.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk with then chief of staff David Barbagallo. Picture: supplied

The watchdog said Mr Barbagallo would have likely been disciplined had he not already quit last year.

With October came “official” election campaigning, but the month was largely uneventful. Labor relied heavily on its COVID-19 response that has largely kept the virus out of Queensland to woo punters while running an LNP cuts scare campaign.

Spruiking its “big, bold and ambitious” plan for job creation, the LNP tried to win votes promising popular policies.

But while a hung parliament had been touted as a possibility, Labor ended up romping home, with a net gain of four seats after losing South Brisbane.

Ms Frecklington claimed on election night she wasn’t going anywhere, before standing down as leader days later.

Mr Crisafulli was crowned opposition leader and wasted no time trying to shake off the ghost of Campbell Newman.

And of course, there were the internal political headaches throughout the year, like the CFMEU quitting Labor’s Left Faction in August.

Labor’s Right Faction lost backbenchers Jim Madden and Duncan Pegg, LNP president David Hutchinson resigned three months before an election, and three Labor ministers announced they wouldn’t be contesting the election.

With 2021 knocking on the door of George Street, the issue of lobbying looks set to remain in the spotlight after the CCC flagged a “project” aimed at the industry.

And Ms Palaszczuk will likely begin the new year facing questions over her private email account.

But Labor has comfortably ended what’s been a tumultuous year knowing it is governing for another four years.

And the LNP will continue to lick its wounds as Mr Crisafulli drafts new party policies to try and win back voters.

The LNP's David Crisafulli and Deb Frecklington. Picture: supplied