Kate Jones tells Annastacia Palaszczuk she will not contest October election
Kate Jones, one of the Palaszczuk Government’s most popular ministers, has quit State Parliament, becoming the third Labor Cabinet member this week to announce they will not contest the October election.
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One of the Palaszczuk Government’s most popular ministers, Kate Jones, will announce she is quitting State Parliament.
Ms Jones’ shock exit makes her the third Labor Cabinet member this week to announce they will not contest the October 31 state election.
The 41-year-old Ms Jones, who was considered a future Labor Premier, informed Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and the party last night of her decision.
Energy Minister Anthony Lynham and Disabilities Minister Coralee O’Rourke have also revealed they were quitting despite being preselected by the party.
Ms Jones was first elected in 2006, lost to former premier Campbell Newman in 2012 and returned in 2015 to beat the LNP leader in the seat formerly known as Ashgrove.
“As I’m sure all honourable members can appreciate this has been a very difficult decision for me and my family,” she told Parliament.
“It has been an absolute honour to serve the people of my local community as their State Member.
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“I’m proud of what has been delivered in my time since I was first preselected by the great Australian Labor Party in 2005 to contest the electorate of Ashgrove 15 years ago.
“Successfully elected in the 2006 election, I was the first woman and youngest person to represent Ashgrove in the Queensland Parliament.
“At the time, I recall there was a lot of talk both within and outside of the party about whether a young single woman (in her 20s) could actually win the seat – that feels like a lifetime ago when we see how many women are in this Parliament today.”
Watched by husband Paul and children Thomas and Grace from the public gallery, Ms Jones spoke of her rewarding work helping the tourism industry during the COVID-19 crisis.
“I was fortunate to lead Queensland’s tourism industry through record highs and in more recent times supported the industry at an all-time low,” she said.
Ms Jones also named the Commonwealth Games as a highlight of her ministerial career and praised the leadership of Annastacia Palaszczuk.
“It is her leadership that has ensured Queensland remains one of the safest places in our country during the current coronavirus pandemic,” she said.
“Even in the face of relentless pressure, orchestrated attacks and downright bullying online, she has remained steadfast in her decision to keep Queenslanders safe. Unlike other states, this has enabled us to start rebuilding our economy.”
Ms Palaszczuk said Ms Jones would go down in history as the “Campbell slayer” as she wished her “good friend” all the very best for the future.
“Never before have we seen such a great night when Kate was able to stand up there and say that she had reclaimed the seat of Ashgrove,” Ms Palaszczuk said.
“She has delivered so much but I did admire most her passion for education because she knew that education changes lives.”
Ms Jones would also be remembered as the state’s best tourism minister “in a long, long time”, according to industry leaders.
Queensland Tourism Industry Council CEO Daniel Gschwind, who was in the gallery at parliament for the shock announcement, said no one in the sector would have a bad word to say about the popular minister, who was arguably the best retail politician of the Palaszczuk government.
“She will be sorely missed,” he said.
“She will be remembered as the best minister the tourism industry has had in a long, long time.
“Having her as the minister through these dark times, it made our industry’s plight a little more bearable.”
Queensland tourism stalwart Paul Donovan said Ms Jones had been “a fantastic minister” who would be a big loss to the industry.
“She worked bloody hard and she has always been very supportive of tourism, both on the Gold Coast and across the state,” he said.
“It’s a real shock and she will be a big loss.”
Village Roadshow Theme Parks chief operating officer Bikash Randhawa said he was “sad” to hear of Ms Jones’ departure and described her as an outstanding advocate for Queensland tourism.
“Minister Jones is someone who has bought so much energy and enthusiasm to the role and she has been a light which was needed for the industry, especially during this period,” he said.
“Her loss is a shame for the tourism industry and the next person to hold the role will have big shoes to fill.”
Dreamworld CEO John Osborne was also full of praise for Ms Jones, who was a fierce advocate of the theme park and instrumental in arranging a $70 million loan after Federal government funding was pulled.
“She was absolutely a staunch and fantastic supporter of not only Dreamworld, but the entire theme park and tourism industry,” he said.
He said she should be “very, very proud” of her legacy as tourism minister.
“It’s a massive loss for the tourism industry,” he said.