Rising star MP to tackle state’s housing crisis

A housing super-portfolio will be created with Labor rising star Meaghan Scanlon at its helm as part of newly-minted Premier Steven Miles’ first cabinet.

A housing super-portfolio will be created with Labor rising star Meaghan Scanlon at its helm as part of newly-minted Premier Steven Miles’ first cabinet.

Mr Miles and his deputy Cameron Dick were set to have numerous discussions with the 17 other MPs in the government’s cabinet, in the second reset of the frontbench this year.

Labor sources said the mega portfolio of State Development, Infrastructure, Planning and Local Government — held by Mr Miles until Friday — will be broken up for parts in a bid to create a housing super-portfolio.

Current Housing Minister Meaghan Scanlon, 30, is expected to become the Housing, Planning, Local Government and Public Works Minister.

This will give Ms Scanlon all the levers to tackle the state’s debilitating housing crunch.

Mr Miles, in his first speech as Premier, pointed to the state’s “golden decade of growth” and the need for more homes than ever before while promising to “do everything we can” to work with federal counterparts, local government and developers to deliver more homes.

Housing Minister Meaghan Scanlon. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Tertius Pickard

Gaining responsibility for the new housing super-portfolio will also come with a promotion to the senior ministry for Ms Scanlon, in a major step forward for the Gold Coast-based MP just six years into her parliamentary career.

Public Works was previously held by Energy Minister Mick de Brenni. It means Ms Scanlon will now gain responsibility of QBuild — the government’s in-house construction arm.

Ms Scanlon’s attendance at the first joint press conference of Mr Miles and Mr Dick after the leadership tussle was seen as a sign she was set to be a major benefactor of the changing of the guard.

It’s understood Mr Miles believed Ms Scanlon — a Left-faction MP aligned with the United Workers Union — was doing a great job in Housing and was up to the task of a larger portfolio.

Queensland’s new Premier Steven Miles and Deputy Premier Cameron Dick behind him. Picture: David Clark

The major reshuffle of the government’s frontbench is due to be locked in by Monday, with Mr Miles saying he aimed to minimise the slicing and dicing of departments

He confirmed there would “need to be changes” to portfolios and departments, but the duo wanted to make sure they were not “unduly disrupting the public servants”.

“There’s that balancing act for us to consider here … there will need to be some changes but we want to keep the public service working and focused,” he said.

The landmark Coaldrake review into government integrity last year “urged” for “self-restraint to be applied” by governments to limit machinery changes “to those which are absolutely necessary”.

It’s understood the leadership pair have been speaking to cabinet ministers to work out their individual preferences and strengths in order to build toward a final structure which includes five new ministers — four of those replacements.

Movement of public service heads is also on the cards, with State Development Director-General Mike Kaiser confirming on Saturday he would be moving to head up the Department of Premier and Cabinet, replacing Rachel Hunter.

Mr Kaiser is a former Labor state secretary and Woodridge MP, resigning from parliament in 2001 after admitting to involvement in vote-rigging in party ballots in the 1980s.

It’s a checkered past the opposition will not allow to be forgotten, even though Mr Kaiser has since held numerous corporate and public service roles, including playing a central role in the government’s Covid-19 economic recovery.