‘People have turned off the Premier’: Coup brewing as Palaszczuk jets off

Senior Labor figures are urging Annastacia Palaszczuk to step aside for the sake of the party as both Left and Right members of the backbench move to vent their frustrations.

• Removing leader no simple operation

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has flown to Europe for a two-week holiday amid threats and speculation on her leadership.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has gone to Europe on holiday. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dan Peled

Acting Premier Steven Miles on Sunday insisted Ms Palaszczuk had the support of colleagues despite “rumours and gossip” about the premier’s future.

It comes after senior cabinet minister Mick de Brenni insisted on Saturday that Ms Palaszczuk had the “full confidence” of Labor’s party room and that there was no active move to oust her.

But several senior Labor figures are convinced she should step aside before Christmas for the sake of the party in the wake of a series of political missteps compounded by wilting opinion polls.

The rumblings come as The Sunday Mail confirmed both Left and Right members of the backbench would formally request an audience with Ms Palaszczuk to air their frustrations after being caught off-guard by last-minute amendments to legislation to hastily rush controversial youth justice laws through parliament.

It is also understood some MPs are critical of Ms Palaszczuk for going on her second overseas vacation this year after her advocacy for Queenslanders to holiday within the state to aid the sector’s recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Sunday Mail broke the news of the Premier’s holiday on Saturday, with her office issuing a statement over an hour later confirming the plans. Her European holiday – with partner Dr Reza Adib – leaves Deputy Premier Steven Miles, her most likely successor, temporarily in the top job.

Mr Miles on Sunday copped a grilling about the leadership of the party amid revelations of a rumbling about its chances roughly one year out from an election.

While declaring he was having “fun” as acting premier, he insisted Ms Palaszczuk’s job was safe when she returns from a two-week break.

Mr Miles defended the three polls which revealed Labor was on track to lose the October 2024 election with Ms Palaszczuk at the helm.

“It doesn’t align with what people are saying to me, but I understand there’ll always be chatter, there will always be rumours and gossip,” he said.

“What I know is a great strength of our government has been our stability and unity and the leadership that Annastasia has provided and I intend to continue that unity and stability.”

Mr Miles is the leader of the dominant Left faction and a close ally of party powerbroker Gary “Blocker” Bullock. He would likely seek to form a leadership ticket with Health Minister Shannon Fentiman as his deputy – a scenario that would need the backing of the swing-vote Old Guard faction that is now allied with Mr Bullock’s United Workers Union.

Deputy Premier Steven Miles. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Tertius Pickard

Treasurer Cameron Dick. Picture: David Clark

Treasurer Cameron Dick – who, like Ms Palaszczuk, is a member of the party’s Right faction – could also seek to run should the leadership become vacant, but he would find it challenging to secure sufficient support.

More than one source noted that the torrid few days for the government in parliament last week – which included a series of stumbles over youth crime – was reminiscent of the way things fell apart in the dying months of both the Bligh and Morrison administrations.

But stringent leadership change rules, as well as Ms Palaszczuk being on the verge of becoming the state’s longest-serving post-war Labor premier, have led to fears from party leaders who want a change that open speculation will prompt her to bunker down.

“If she is backed into a corner, she will hold on,” one source said.

Another senior Labor figure said the focus was now on stemming the losses to the LNP at the October 2024 state election, with the hope a minority government could then be formed with Katter’s Australian Party, the Greens and Noosa independent MP Sandy Bolton.

Another source said the LNP still had to win nine seats and that while Opposition Leader David Crisafulli was a solid performer, Queenslanders had not yet warmed to him.

“The test in Queensland, when it comes to being premier, is if people like you, and I don’t think he’s got that,” the source said.

“But I also do think people have turned off the Premier, and when that happens it’s hard to win back.”

Asked if it was appropriate for the Premier to holiday in Europe, Mr de Brenni said Ms Palaszczuk could holiday “wherever she likes”.

“I’ve seen the Premier on more holidays here in Queensland in our local community than I think any other political leader, so wherever she goes, I think Queenslanders know that people who work in those types of jobs deserve some downtime,” he said.