Premier Steven Miles attempts to distance himself from Mike Kaiser’s hiring of Danielle Cohen

Premier Steven Miles says it’s not his place to have a view on the actions of director-general Mike Kaiser and refused to say if he supported the hiring process for a former chief of staff.

Premier Steven Miles refused to answer questions regarding Mike Kaiser’s hiring process. Picture: David Clark

Premier Steven Miles has refused to reveal whether he supports Director-General Mike Kaiser’s shock move to hand-pick former chief of staff Danielle Cohen to a powerful government role.

In a clear attempt to distance himself from the decision, Mr Miles refused to answer when asked several times if he supported the hiring process.

Ms Cohen was headhunted by Mr Kaiser to lead a new Implementation Division within the department, tasked with improving service delivery and delivering government policy.

There is no suggestion she is unqualified for the role and Mr Kaiser has praised her “capability”.

Director-General Mike Kaiser.

Questions are mounting, however, about why the senior position was not advertised across the public service.

Ms Cohen worked alongside Mr Kaiser for 10 months from April 2022, when he became director-general of the Department of State Development, until she quit as Mr Miles’s chief of staff in February 2023.

The Premier on Saturday did not reveal whether he supported Mr Kaiser’s decision and twice declined to say whether the role should have been advertised and a merit-based selection process undertaken.

“It’s not my role to have a view … I appoint the director general,” Mr Miles said.

“If I had a view, otherwise, on appointments made within the public service you would be highly critical.

“It will be advertised.”

Mr Miles said it was “not unusual” for temporary public service jobs to be filled by someone in an acting role or without advertisement, and said Mr Kaiser was likely attempting to fast-track the establishment of the new Implementation Division.

“This is a short-term role for a couple of months to get that function up and running … a full merit-selection process would have taken that long,” Mr Miles said.

“The alternative is to go to a consulting firm or find some other way to find that short-term function because those proper merit-based selection processes, they take months.”

Mr Miles disagreed the lack of advertisement for the role defied the intent of Peter Coaldrake’s 2022 integrity review.

“Precisely what the Coaldrake review recommended was that permanent roles, tenured roles should always be subject to transparent, merit-based selection processes,” he said.

“Occasionally there will be temporary roles where people will be seconded from other functions.” 

In justifying the selection of Ms Cohen, Mr Kaiser on Friday sensationally declared the “capability does not currently exist” in the public sector to improve service delivery.

When asked whether he supported Mr Kaiser’s claim the public service was unable to improve service delivery, Mr Miles acknowledged it could be better.

“I agree that as a public service we can have a stronger focus on service delivery and the experience of Queenslanders – I understand that that’s one of the intentions that Mike Kaiser brought to the job of Director General. 

“I think he’s acknowledging that our Department of Premier and Cabinet can do a better job of supporting agencies to deliver those services.”

Opposition Leader David Crisafulli slammed Mr Kaiser’s comments.

“Imagine being a public servant going to work, doing your best and you get told by a former Labor Party operative that there’s no one in the public service whose capable of improving service delivery other than a Labor employee,” he said.

“This position wasn’t advertised because it was an in-house job.

“Independence is the key when it comes to directors-general.”