Plan for major Labor Cabinet reshuffle building for weeks

A shuffle of the Palaszczuk’s government’s frontbench had been building behind the scenes for weeks, but it wasn’t just voters who were caught out by the news of a major Cabinet shake-up.

A shuffle of the Palaszczuk’s government’s frontbench had been building behind the scenes for weeks, but the Premier’s tightly guarded decision caught many people including her own ministers by surprise.

The first domino to fall was soon-to-be former health minister Yvette D’Ath, who walked into a short meeting with the Premier on Tuesday afternoon to be informed of what was to happen.

She would front waiting media immediately afterwards to answer questions on the ongoing DNA lab debacle, showing no signs of distress from being told she would relinquish the problem-plagued health portfolio for her old hat as Attorney-General.

The decision to call a reshuffle comes weeks before the state budget and a month after the Premier emphatically said “N-O” to moving Ms D’Ath on from the health portfolio amid a growing list of scandals.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk speaks during Question Time in the Far North Queensland regional sitting of parliament. Picture: Brendan Radke

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, described by detractors as timid and by supporters as cautious and measured, is notoriously risk averse.

It’s understood the ultimate catalyst to push go was the realisation it was time for a reset according to insiders, with the Premier feeling the timing was right. The move will be likely sold as a refresh and the ability to have a fresh set of eyes delve into complex and critical areas of policy.

But the decision not to bring fresh faces into cabinet has been viewed by some as an error that won’t track well with the voters, particularly with certain ministers returning to portfolios they had previously held prior to the 2020 election.

A senior Labor source said Ms Palaszczuk’s decision came after unrelenting pressure across the troublesome trio of housing, health, and youth justice – hitting a crescendo over the last fortnight.

“It couldn’t have waited any longer,” they said.

“You don’t need polling to show you that we have issues in those three areas.”

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

Yvette D’Ath will move from Health back to the office of Attorney-General, a portfolio she has previously held. Picture: Steve Pohlner

A senior Labor source said the reshuffle was set to act as a circuit breaker for a government under pressure on health, youth justice and housing – particularly in the lead up to the budget.

It is understood concerns had been aired to her by backbenchers, on top of feedback from the public.

Other Labor sources said recent YouGov polling by The Courier-Mail – which showed the state government was lagging behind among voters on their former stronghold of health, and on issues like cost-of-living and crime – was public acknowledgment of what those on the inside were tracking. And it’s understood Ms Palaszczuk was aware certain things weren’t moving quick enough after hearing feedback from the public and Labor caucus.

Insiders noted focus groups and unpublished polling were tracking badly for the third term government, with Ms Palaszczuk viewed as having “checked out” of the job she’s held for nearly a decade.

There had been growing disquiet in the backbench as issues including crime began percolating and impacting electorates where it previously hadn’t been a problem — though it’s understood this did not necessarily translate to bad blood against ministers in the relevant portfolios.

The state government is already expected to face a significant challenge to its seats in North and Far North Queensland, with Labor also forced to fend off a serious fight from the Greens in inner-city seats.

The reshuffle has been described as a circuit breaker amid a never-ending cycle of bad press and the knock on effect on public sentiment.

The timing means the new ministers will have time in the lead up to the budget to get their heads across the detail, and also gives them the opportunity to sell good news as the first order of business.

It’s expected Ms Palaszczuk will need to introduce new faces to her cabinet before the October 2024 election due to the strong likelihood of retirements closer to the end of term, as experienced before the 2020 poll when ministers Kate Jones and Anthony Lynham called time.