Premier bans booze among ministers, staff after public incidents

A series of embarrassing public incidents has forced Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk to ban booze among ministers and their staff while in their official capacities.

A FURIOUS Annastacia Palaszczuk has imposed a booze ban on her ministers attending official functions, after one sozzled senior government figure had to be chaperoned out of an event.

The Courier-Mail can reveal the Premier laid down her decree at a recent Cabinet meeting as she chastised her team over their penchant for downing plonk while representing her administration.

George Street Beat: Qld politics news and gossip

George Street Beat: Qld politics news and gossip

George Street Beat: Queensland politics news and gossip

Ministers were left shocked after Ms Palaszczuk warned them she would no longer protect them and they each risked forfeiting their Cabinet commissions if they were caught up in any after-hours incidents.

The Premier’s ultimatum is believed to have come after she was informed by people outside the Government of an episode involving an inebriated Labor Left-faction figure having to helped to leave a sports event early.

It follows a laundry list of issues in public, at Parliament and during official functions involving ministers and their minders, with Ms Palaszczuk desperate for the Government to straighten up its image with only a year until the next state election.

One of the Premier’s own media staff stunned onlookers at Eagle Farm during Stradbroke Day this year when he became involved in a heated altercation with another government employee.

Ms Palaszczuk’s edict is believed to have been issued days before an incident in Parliament’s Stranger’s Dining Room, when Deputy Premier Jackie Trad commandeered a lit candelabra.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk is putting a stop to alcohol abuse on duty.

Ms Trad has insisted she had sought approval from staff to take the ornate item up into the members-only parliamentary annexe, however an official report has been given to Speaker Curtis Pitt.

Former premier Peter Beattie banned alcohol on the Government’s jet in 2004 after former Play School presenter-turned-politician Liddy Clark and a staffer flew a bottle of wine with them into a dry indigenous community.

Premier Campbell Newman later over turned the ban.

Opposition Leader Deb Frecklington insisted a lack of leadership from Ms Palaszczuk was to blame for ministers acting inappropriately.

“It is part of your job as a minister to represent the people of Queensland at official events and getting drunk in the workplace is totally unacceptable,” she said.

“It shows how dysfunctional and ill-disciplined the Palaszczuk Labor Government is.”

A spokesman for Ms Palaszczuk said: “The Premier expects her ministers to conduct themselves appropriately at all times.”