ALP conference: Election already on Annastacia Palaszczuk’s mind

We’re a year out from a state election, but Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has declared her party the “underdog” in the race to power.

PREMIER Annastacia Palaszczuk says she doesn’t mind being an underdog, almost a year out from the next state election.

Ms Palaszczuk says Labor has “climbed Mount Everest” to win power in the past and called on her party to work together.

“The last two elections have shown us that we’re unstoppable when we work together,” Ms Palaszczuk said at the Queensland ALP conference on Sunday.

The call for unity follows weeks of attacks on her deputy, Jackie Trad, who has faced calls to resign from the state opposition and even the fellow Left-aligned CFMEU over her referral to the state’s corruption watchdog last month.

The Crime and Corruption Commission is yet to announce whether it would formally investigate the purchase of a $695,000 house by a family trust Ms Trad benefited from.

The house is near the route of Brisbane’s $5.4 billion Cross River Rail project Ms Trad had been overseeing.

Ms Palaszczuk earlier this month said Ms Trad would stand down if the CCC investigates.

Ms Trad, who made a speech at the conference while holding a baby, did not directly address the attacks on Sunday.

Amid a week which included the union insurgence, a blunder which saw a ministerial diary identify an ASIO agent and criticism of proposed new anti-protest laws, Ms Palaszczuk called on her party to pull together and fight to the next election.

She said she was happy to take the role of the underdog despite winning the past two elections.

“Make no mistake, the votes the LNP will again receive from Clive Palmer and One Nation means we are again the underdog at next year’s election,” Ms Palaszczuk told party supporters.

“I’ve never minded being the underdog.

“We’ve climbed Mount Everest together before.”