What you said about Qld Premier Steven Miles rehiring Rachel Hunter

Queensland Premier Steven Miles’ decision to consider rehiring a top bureaucrat ignited a firestorm. JOIN THE CONVERSATION

2 min read

February 2, 2024 - 12:28PM

Now Premier Steven Miles, the- premier Anastasia Palaszczuk and Rachel Hunter during a housing shortage round table discussion at Queensland Parliament in Brisbane. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Glenn Campbell

Opinion

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Jobs for mates or getting the job done?

Premier Steven Miles’ call to potentially rehire Annastacia Palaszczuk’s top bureaucrat Rachel Hunter to lead a review – despite paying her almost $400,000 to resign just one month ago – drew the ire of readers.

Ms Hunter was in line to be appointed to lead the review of the state’s homelessness services system, which will consider how to best improve outcomes and get Queenslanders off the streets.

It is understood Ms Hunter agreed to do the review for free – but only after The Courier-Mail asked the Premier’s office how much she would be getting paid for the work.

The Premier would the following day admit he made a mistake in the decision to rehire Ms Hunter.

“I’m willing to acknowledge that at some stage during that process, I should have realised that it wasn’t going to be a good look,” he said.

But the Premier insisted he had pure “motivations” in backing the appointment, and he didn’t see it as raising issues of “jobs for mates”.

Opposition Leader David Crisafulli argued the government was “trashing” the independence of the public service as Labor MPs expressed frustration at the bungling of its flagship housing announcement.

Housing Minister Meaghan Scanlon defended Ms Hunter’s appointed – saying Premier Palaszczuk’s former top bureaucrat had “extensive experience in senior government roles” and passion for ending homelessness.

News of the decision to rehire Ms Hunter sparked a war of words with readers.

Some claimed it was another example of the Labor government looking out for their own.

Others jokingly put their hand up for the well-paid role.

Well some were more serious, insisting an investigation was needed.

Read what you had to say below and join the conversation >>>

Then Premier and Cabinet Director-General Rachel Hunter during the state parliament Estimates in Brisbane. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Tertius Pickard

WHAT YOU SAID

Waste of money

Looking for the Truth

You have to be joking

Danny

what a disgraceful waste of taxpayers money, bring on October!!!

Michael

What on earth!? If this is true fact, that’s preposterous. We clearly are the sheep, voting and paying for them all. We gotta be more intelligent and proactive than that, and do something about this situation.

Micheal

Another example of labor wasting Queenslanders money.

The wise one

The poisoned policy of Palaszczuk burying issues with ‘reviews’ has cost taxpayers tens of millions of dollars. The bureaucracy of public servants protecting the government turning a blind eye is sadly putting the people of Queensland into further disadvantage.

Time to go, Miles

Graham

Nothings changed. Out the door in 24

kevin

From the outside it looks like Miles is gaming his own system to reward (there is a harsher word I could use) a bureaucrat with $400,000 for being friendly to labor.

jeff

Time to get rid of this clown show and put the adults in charge.

Owen

hopeless government

Simon

And they still wonder why there is a credibility issue…..some old same old!

Queensland Premier Steven Miles and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese during a visit to the Murrumba Downs Medical and Dental centre in Brisbane. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Tertius Pickard