Peter Beattie rules out running for Labor in Brisbane council elections

He’s been premier, spruiked the state in the US and headed up the Commonwealth Games and ARL Commission. But Peter Beattie has hosed down speculation over his next move.

FORMER Queensland premier Peter Beattie has ruled himself out as a contender to become Labor’s Brisbane lord mayoral candidate at the next council election.

It comes after The Courier-Mail revealed this week that moves were being made behind the scenes of the ALP to dump current candidate Rod Harding ahead of the March 2020 poll.

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Mr Beattie told The Courier-Mail “hell would freeze over” before he would run for the city’s top job.

The former premier is currently chairman of the Australian Rugby League Commission, but told his fellow commissioners last night he would leave the position in February.

His tenure at the ARLC has been marred by a series of apparent gaffes and controversy over the no-fault stand-down policy for errant players, over which Mr Beattie offered to walk away if it was rejected by clubs.

Mr Harding told television reporters this week that he still hoped to be the party’s candidate come March 28, and that he was looking forward to taking up the fight to the LNP administration.

This was despite Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk refusing to publicly support the lord mayoral aspirant.

While several potential candidates have ruled themselves out of having a crack at the job, former 7 News political editor Patrick Condren would not be drawn on a potential candidacy earlier this week.

Tourism Minister Kate Jones and Deagon ward councillor Jared Cassidy, who also were touted, have confirmed they will not run.

Council opposition leader Peter Cumming has previously insisted that his caucus of five councillors was 100 per cent behind Mr Harding.