D’Ath to go: Premier’s cabinet reshuffle to send shockwaves through Labor

The Opposition has slammed Labor’s Cabinet reshuffle as failing to punish strife-torn ministers enough for their mounting failures.

Annastacia Palaszczuk will announce a cabinet reshuffle focused on repairing three critical pain points for the state government: health, housing and youth justice.

It is understood Ms Palaszczuk has told Yvette D’Ath she will be moved from the health portfolio, with the expectation the minister will return to her previous frontbench role as attorney-general.

The Courier-Mail understands current A-G Shannon Fentiman will be sworn in as the new health minister.

Yvette D’Ath is expected to lose the health portfolio.

Youth Justice Minister Leanne Linard and Housing Minister Leeanne Enoch will be moved on from their current portfolios and be given more junior responsibilities.

It is understood no backbenchers will be promoted into the ministry.

Government sources confirmed to The Courier-Mail the reshuffle will take place as early as Thursday.

Pressure on Ms D’Ath has mounted in recent months following repeated scandals within the portfolio, including ambulance ramping, the DNA bungle, and the maternity crisis in Central Queensland.

The revelation is a sign of the strain on Ms Palaszczuk, given her repeated and famed reluctance to move ministers between portfolios.

In February, Ms Palaszczuk insisted she had no plans to shuffle her cabinet and would not be promoting any backbenchers before the October 2024 state election.

Youth Justice Minister Leanne Linard

“I said that I would deliver a stable government and it’s been, I must say, pretty stable,” she said at the time.

But YouGov polling commissioned by The Courier-Mail last month identified health, youth crime and housing as the biggest concerns of voters, sparking internal Labor calls for change.

Ms Palaszczuk told Ms D’Ath on Tuesday she would be moved to a new portfolio, while other ministers have been instructed to meet with Ms Palaszczuk on Wednesday.

Government insiders told The Courier-Mail Ms Linard had been looking to exit the troubled portfolio following a string of high-profile tragedies.

The minister has been in the spotlight following several serious incidents of youth crime and the government’s response, including the tragic death of mum-of-two Emma Lovell in North Lakes on Boxing Day.

Housing Minister Leeanne Enoch

Meanwhile, housing emerged as a turbulent portfolio for the state government following The Courier-Mail’s campaign calling on the state government to address alarming rates of housing affordability and homelessness.

A wide range of stakeholders have repeatedly pleaded with the Palaszczuk government to increase funding to build more social and affordable homes while a recent report revealed the desperation of the homeless crisis with about 300,000 Queenslanders experiencing housing insecurity.

Deputy Opposition Leader Jarrod Bleijie said reports of the three ministers being “side-shoe-shuffled” into other portfolios and not sacked from the cabinet entirely showed there was no consequence for the failures to manage each issue.

Deputy Opposition Leader Jarrod Bleijie

“It shows that Annastacia is putting her interests first, not the people of Queensland,” he said.

Some have speculated that rolling out fresh faces in the critical portfolios ahead of June’s state budget will allow voters to be satisfied with reform as the new ministers are given airtime for major funding announcements.

But Mr Bleijie dismissed suggestions a reshuffle would allow the Labor government to reset ahead of the election in less than a year-and-a-half.

“Queenslanders are smart enough to know … that the fish rots from the head and the Premier is the leader of this government and the government is rotten to the core,” he said.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk is expected to make changes as soon as Thursday.

On Wednesday, at least two ministers signalled they appeared to be safe from the explosive reshuffle.

Resources Minister Scott Stewart and Water Minister Glenn Butcher, both in Townsville on Wednesday, indicated they had not been called up to head to Brisbane.

It is understood ministers impacted by the changes will need to be in the state’s capital.

Mr Stewart, asked if he would be staying in his portfolio, confirmed he hadn’t had a phone call and was “continuing to love my resources portfolio”.

Mr Butcher said the cabinet reshuffle was up to Ms Palaszczuk but noted he had not received any phone calls to be in Brisbane.

The Gladstone-based MP also defended the soon-to-be-former health minister Yvette D’Ath’s work in the portfolio, calling their relationship through the Gladstone maternity crisis “very positive”.

“Our cabinet is a good cabinet, we’ve gone to elections before with the same cabinet, and I have all faith in all of our cabinet ministers who sit around the table,” Mr Butcher said.

The state government’s one other regionally based minister, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships, Seniors and Disability Minister Craig Crawford, was understood to be in Brisbane.

Police Minister Mark Ryan, also in Townsville on Wednesday, said he was “fortunate to have this portfolio”.

Asked if he had been given any assurances that he would hold on to the ministry, Mr Ryan said he was “here doing police announcements”.