She played a significant role in the establishing of pivotal Queensland laws – but Jackie Trad has also left a long list of controversies behind.
The 52-year-old was back in the headline in February 2025 when a bombshell Crime and Corruption Commission report revealed she “aggressively” and “inappropriately” interfered in an independent recruitment process to appoint her friend Frankie Carroll as under treasurer.
It also outlined a “World War III” power dynamic between Annastacia Palaszczuk and Ms Trad during their time working together.
This is the tale of the rise and fall of the state’s former deputy premier >>>
Early years
Jacklyn Anne Trad was born April 25, 1972 – the second daughter of Lebanese immigrants who owned a fruit shop in Woollongabba.
Her family returned to Lebanon in 1979 for a year but soon arrived back in Australia where she attended Lourdes Hill College in Brisbane.
Following an arts degree at Griffith University and Master of Public Policy at the University of Sydney, she went on to marry Damien van Brunschot and have a family.
Stepping into politics
Following the resignation of Labor’s South Brisbane incumbent and former Premier Anna Bligh, Ms Trad was elected at the by-election held on April 28, 2012.
“The lesson for me and the lesson for the Labor Party is to keep going, to keep this campaign going,” Labor’s one-time assistant state secretary said at the time of victory.
Then Opposition Leader Annastacia Palaszczuk hailed the victory.
“We all knew it was going to be tough,” she said at the time.
“ … This is the first step in the rebuilding of our great Labor Party.”
Ms Trad’s ascent came after she had held roles as Queensland ALP’s assistant state secretary, president of the Kurilpa Branch, delegate to the ALP National and State Conferences, member of the National Executive Committee and also the Secretary of Labor Women’s Organisation Queensland.
Making moves
Ms Trad’s stocks rose significantly when on April 29, 2012, she was appointed as shadow minister for Transport and Main Roads, Environment and Heritage Protection, Small Business, Consumer Affairs and the Arts.
She was also appointed as a member of the Parliamentary Ethics Committee and Parliamentary Crime and Misconduct Committee respectively, and served from May 2012 to January 2015.
Following the 2015 state election, Tim Mulherin’s resignation as deputy leader opened the door for Ms Trad to assume the role in February 2015.
She also bagged the Minister for Infrastructure, Local Government and Planning, Minister for Transport and Minister for Trade portfolios.
However by December a cabinet reshuffle saw the transport portfolio handed to new minister Stirling Hinchliffe.
It was a portfolio she would regain again in February 2017.
By December 2017 Ms Trad was sworn in as Deputy Premier, Treasurer and Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships in the Second Palaszczuk Ministry.
She delivered her first budget in June 2018, with official papers unveiling a $1.512 billion surplus in 2017–18 – more than three times the forecast in the Mid Year Fiscal and Economic Review in December 2017.
Controversies and changes
‘Jihad Jackie’
In one of the lightning rod political moments of the 2012, on September 11 Leader of the House Ray Stevens referred to Ms Trad as “Jihad Jackie” during parliamentary debate.
Ms Trad, believing the term related to her Lebanese heritage, demanded the remark be withdrawn.
However Premier Campbell Newman doubled down by labelling Ms Trad “precious” and needing to “harden up”.
“It is outrageous to think that the Queensland parliament should be condoning these sorts of racist barbs when they are unacceptable in the community,” Ms Trad said outside parliament.
She got strong support from community groups.
Tree clearing laws
Ms Trad battled alongside conservation groups in 2016 as part of the proposed Vegetation Management (Reinstatement) Amendment Bill.
The bill intended to reverse the Newman Government’s 2013 repeal of the 2005 Wild Rivers Legislation, delivered in an attempt to preserve native vegetation.
The changes under the previous government had allowed increased rates of tree-clearing in Queensland.
Ms Trad called the proposed legislation “nation-leading” and a key plank in the bid to protect the Great Barrier Reef.
Despite widespread campaigning by conservation groups, the bill failed to pass.
Not to be deterred, Ms Trad reintroduced the legislation following the 2017 election; this time it passed on May 9, 2018.
Abortion support
Ms Trad was in 2016 the first MP to support independent Rob Pyne’s two pieces of legislation aimed at decriminalising abortion in Queensland.
Describing herself as “unashamedly pro-choice”, she said it was time for Queensland law “to catch up with legal precedent and treat pregnancy termination as a health issue, not a criminal issue.”
Brisbane Catholic Archbishop Mark Coleridge likened the practice of abortion to Nazi Germany, prompting Ms Trad to strongly fight back.
“I would have thought the archbishop had more important things to focus on, like the inquiry into institutional abuse and the findings that are coming out of that inquiry than what is before the Queensland parliament,” she said.
After several false starts, the Termination of Pregnancy Bill 2018 was introduced to the Queensland parliament in August and passed by October.
Electoral reform
In response to the Crime and Corruption Commission’s December 2015 report, Ms Trad a year later introduced the Local Government Electoral (Transparency and Accountability in Local Government) and Other Legislation Amendment Bill.
The bill passed in May 2017, and amended a number of existing laws, including the Local Government Electoral Act 2011.
This resulted in reforms to local government elections, including real-time political donation disclosures, setting candidate and third-party election disclosure donation thresholds at $500, and a requirement that all unspent campaign donations are either held for future campaigns, returned to the relevant political party or transferred to a registered charity.
Investment drama
Annastacia Palaszczuk in 2019 removed MS Trad from all dealings with the Cross River Rail project following the controversy that emerged surrounding an investment property.
It was revealed the property was purchased by Ms Trad’s family trust in Woolloongabba for $695,000 in March 2019.
This was close to the proposed Boggo Road station in the $5.4 billion CRR Project which Ms Trad was overseeing.
This prompted a referral to the Crime and Corruption Commission, which led to a further twist when the chair of the commission recused himself from the investigation following questions about a call he received from Ms Trad.
By September 2019 the commission confirmed it would not investigate Ms Trad, however it did make several recommendations about rule changes to lower corruption risks.
“It was a really devastating time in my life and in my family’s life,” she said at the time.
“I have apologised and I apologise again.
“This was a stuff up and it was a mistake I fully regret.”
Resignation
Worse was to come for Ms Trad when in May 2020 the Crime and Corruption Commission launched an investigation into her alleged misuse of power in the selection of a principal of a new school in her electorate.
She immediately down stood until the conclusion of the investigation.
The CCC cleared Ms Trad in July, stating that “there is no prima facie case that the Deputy Premier has committed a criminal offence or that she was motivated by any dishonest or corrupt intent”.
She said she felt vindicated by the CCC’s findings, and later took the CCC to court to prevent the release of the commission’s report into her conduct.
Ms Trad’s case was subsequently dismissed in her favour.
2020 state election
Approaching the election under significant pressure – or “the fight of her poticial life”, as she described it – Ms Trad faced a strong push from Greens challenger Amy MacMahon.
“My heart is so full because of the support I’ve received from locals, volunteers, Labor Party members, friends and of course, my beautiful family,” she said at the time.
“I’m so grateful to each and every person who has helped make a difference, not just to my campaign, but to our community as well.
“Together, we’ve achieved so much, for South Brisbane and for Queensland. Thank you.”
Premier Palaszczuk passed on her well wishes.
“Public life takes its toll on all people, everyone is human and people give up a lot to serve the community,” she said.
Political return
It was reported in January 2021 that the controversial former Deputy Premier could be offered a political lifeline by the unions.
It was revealed union powerbrokers were canvassing Ms Trad’s potential return to federal politics, however the opposition warned her political resurrection should ‘send a chill down the spine of every Queenslander’.
The Queensland boss of the United Workers Union Gary Bullock released a statement saying if Ms Trad were to return to politics the unions “will do whatever to assist that” and there are discussions in the unions about her return.
“I’d like to see her in federal politics, I think we need more people of her calibre in federal parliament,” Mr Bullock’s statement said.
LNP attack
Ms Trad attacked the LNP government in February 2025 for releasing a corruption watchdog into the hiring of a high-ranking public servant claiming it was “filled with subjective character judgments.
Ms Trad posted a statement to social media hours after the Crime and Corruption Commission report into the appointment of Under Treasurer Frankie Carroll was released by the government.
“The tabling of the unlawful CCC reports in the Queensland parliament is a direct measure of the lack of respect the Queensland LNP Government holds for the Courts, including the High Court of Australia,” she said.
The CCC report, which Ms Trad fought to keep secret, found insufficient evidence to establish a criminal offence of misconduct in relation to public office.
But the corruption watchdog warned public servants they would be fired for a similar disciplinary breach if it were proven.
The CCC found the conduct of then-Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk’s chief of staff Dave Stewart in the hiring process of Mr Carroll was “capable of meeting the definition of corrupt conduct”.
But similar to Ms Trad there was insufficient evidence in relation to the offence of misconduct in relation to public office.
Add your comment to this story
To join the conversation, please log in. Don't have an account? Register
Join the conversation, you are commenting as Logout
Jobs for the girls? Failed MP handed plush job by Miles
Former Pumicestone MP Ali King who was defeated in October by a “child” has been given a job by her mate Steven Miles - and Labor MPs are not impressed. THIS IS GEORGE ST BEAT
‘Inevitable’: RBA chief’s 10-year prediction for cashless Australia
The governor of the Reserve Bank has given a frank assessment on the future of cash in Australian society after a series of questions from a Queensland MP. Read the exchange here.