Queensland Election results 2017: Curtis Pitt confirmed as Speaker
PREMIER Annastacia Palaszczuk has officially announced her new economic team ahead of her Government’s swearing-in on Tuesday.
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PREMIER Annastacia Palaszczuk has officially announced her new economic team ahead of her Government’s swearing-in on Tuesday.
Deputy Premier Jackie Trad will take over as treasurer, Cameron Dick will move from Health to State Development, Infrastructure, Planning and Manufacturing, and Kate Jones will focus on Tourism Industry Development, Innovation and Commonwealth Games.
Ms Palaszczuk will take over the Trade portfolio, and has confirmed her Cabinet will be expanded by one to make room for Member for Barron River Craig Crawford.
Di Farmer will also be promoted to Cabinet, and former transport minister Stirling Hinchliffe will return to the ministry.
It comes after The Courier-Mail revealed the likely changes last week.
“This Cabinet team is strong, it’s dynamic and it also means we have equal representation of men and women,” Ms Palaszczuk said of the changes, with the full ministry to be known after a caucus meeting tomorrow.
“I believe that this is the strongest team to drive economic development and jobs in this state.”
Ms Palaszczuk defended the decision to move treasurer Curtis Pitt to the Speaker’s chair.
“The Speaker of the Queensland Parliament is an incredibly important role and he has the integrity and the commitment to do that job,” she said.
“I had a conversation with him and that is the role that he chose to undertake.”
She denied she had broken a promise for him to remain as Treasurer.
“This is the job that he has decided to undertake.”
. @AnnastaciaMP makes it official. @jackietrad becomes Treasurer @camerondickqld to State development Prem gets Trade. #qldpol @couriermail pic.twitter.com/QrSHz7hNQb
— Sarah Vogler (@SarahLVogler) December 10, 2017
Overnight, it was reported Mr Pitt would be the first casualty of the reshuffle, with the Premier revealing she will nominate him for the role of Speaker.
Despite claiming publicly during the election campaign that Mr Pitt would keep his role, Ms Palaszczuk moved quickly yesterday to shunt him from her frontbench within a day of being returned to power.
He is expected to be replaced as Treasurer by Deputy Premier Jackie Trad as the Premier reshapes her Cabinet, with the new line-up being taken to the Labor caucus tomorrow.
The Premier’s office confirmed Steven Miles, Grace Grace and Yvette D’Ath were in line for promotions.
The Sunday Mail understands Ms Grace will take over the Education portfolio from Kate Jones while Dr Miles is tipped to take on Health.
Ms D’Ath will add Leader of the House to her title while remaining as Attorney-General.
It is understood Leeanne Enoch will take over Environment. Shannon Fentiman is expected to pick up Ms D’Ath’s training portfolio, with new cabinet member Di Farmer taking on the fraught Child Safety ministry.
There is speculation Cameron Dick will move from Health to State Development. Anthony Lynham will keep the Agriculture portfolio he took on when former minister Bill Byrne resigned through illness, helping to trigger the election.
Stirling Hinchliffe, who quit as transport minister amid the Rail Fail crisis in February, is set to return to Cabinet possibly as Mines minister.
Mark Bailey is tipped to add Transport to his Main Roads role.
Member for Barron River Craig Crawford will be promoted to the Cabinet to ensure the Far North is represented in Cabinet following Mr Pitt’s switch.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said: “The Parliament needs a person of integrity and experience as its Speaker and I know Curtis will bring his well-known diligence, fairness and attention to detail to the role of Speaker.”
The Courier-Mail revealed during the campaign that the knives were out for Mr Pitt among colleagues disappointed by his gaffe-prone performance. Ms Palaszcuk said at the time his job was safe and yesterday again praised his record in the role.
But Deb Frecklington, who will seek the LNP leadership after Tim Nicholls’ decision to step down, tweeted that the Premier had ‘’broken her first promise’’ less than 24 hours after seeing the Governor by being forced by the ALP factions to dump Mr Pitt. “Massive snub for the north, it means he doesn’t even sit in Cabinet.”
Mr Pitt said he was honoured to be nominated as Speaker. “I have always been willing to serve Queenslanders in any capacity, both in government and opposition.”
Ms Frecklington will face off against John-Paul Langbroek on Tuesday in a party room vote to become Opposition leader.
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