Today The Courier-Mail reveals the top 50 most powerful people in 2022, giving you exclusive insights into why they made the cut and where they ranked.

All were assessed on one key criteria: their ability to influence the decisions that matter in Queensland.

They were also critiqued on how effectively they use that influence. Not all are Queenslanders, but all have a stake in the growth and development of our state.

Today’s big reveal caps off our comprehensive series on the who’s who across a wide range of sectors – sport, business, arts/entertainment/celebrity, property, education, tourism/hospitality, and health – and completes our overall top 100, which began on September 5.

This extensive project – profiling more than 430 people – has been more than four months in the making, involving vigorous debate, earnest deliberation, and the tapping of trusted sources.

It is one that only The Courier-Mail has the resources and courage to undertake.

POWER 100: Queensland’s most powerful people 100-51

SPORT: Queensland’s 65 most powerful sporting identities

BUSINESS:Queensland’s 60 most powerful business leaders

CELEBRITY: 65 most influential in arts and entertainment

PROPERTY: Queensland’s most powerful property players

EDUCATION: Queensland’s 50 most influential in education

TOURISM: Queensland’s 70 most powerful in tourism, hospitality

HEALTH: Qld’s most powerful in health, wellbeing

Scroll to the bottom to read how we selected the list

50. ASH BARTY

Tennis legend

When Barty said in an Instagram post in March that “I announce my retirement from tennis’’, those six words shook many worlds.

The sport was aghast at the thought of losing its world number one, and it only took days for the shockwaves to sweep into the boardrooms of this nation’s top television executives.

Channel 7, hoping to ditch the cricket rights and snatch back the tennis off Channel 9, took a step back in the belief tennis without Barty lacked ratings zing. Reports the TV deal could rise from $60 to $100m a year because of the Barty boom vanished.

All because of those six words delivered without intent to change anyone’s world but her own. True power can mean being beholden to no-one.

Barty’s decision to retire at age 25 has influenced many lives – she is often told her brave call about her future has prompted others to do the same.

She is also one of the few people in Queensland who could suggest something to the government in her area of expertise and it would likely be done.

49. JOHN GERRARD

Chief Health Officer

The unassuming infectious disease expert was appointed chief health officer to help lead Queensland out of the Covid-19 pandemic after the departure of Jeannette Young to Government House towards the end of 2021.

Gerrard’s unflappable manner helped ease anxiety when case numbers soared as he chartered the state through the Omicron wave at the start of this year.

Gerrard’s advice determines the decisions announced by the Premier and Health Minister. He has changed the narrative of the pandemic, resisting mandates and urging personal responsibility around mask wearing and social distancing.

Working at the Gold Coast University Hospital, Gerrard treated the first Covid-19 cases in Queensland in January 2020.

48. MAX CHANDLER-MATHER

Griffith MP/Greens powerbroker

Fresh-faced and energetic, the new Griffith MP looks like he walked out of a university lecture theatre and into the corridors of power. But Max Chandler-Mather has been a backroom powerbroker for the Greens since Cr Jonathan Sri was just a guy in a rainbow scarf in the periphery of a press conference.

Chandler-Mather helped orchestrate the meteoric rise of the Greens in Brisbane, the ousting of Labor Left’s strongest state MP Jackie Trad in 2020 – and the federal election “Greenslide” in 2022 which saw him beat Labor rising star Terri Butler and installed two other Greens to inner-city seats.

The smart money is on Chandler-Mather quickly emerging as the face of the Greens federally, with his power in Queensland built on the fact both major parties now fear him.

47. TOM TATE

Mayor of the Gold Coast

A political survivor with a “can do” attitude, Tom Tate is Mr Gold Coast, advocating for his city with unwavering vigour.

Tate has delivered a spectacular dive site predicted to spawn a niche tourism industry of its own, and remains passionate about bringing a cruise ship terminal to the Glitter Strip.

As a former entertainment industry boss, he understands the value of tourism to the economy and isn’t afraid to leave the odd nose out of joint if it means delivering outcomes for his city.

In July, Tate warned “sh*t will hit the fan” if his counterpart in Noosa, Clare Stewart, tries to use her influence as a member of the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games Organising Committee to move any Gold Coast games events to the Sunshine Coast.

46. MAHA AND RAYNUHA SINNATHAMBY

Springfield City Group chairman and managing director

A true visionary who stared down the naysayers, Maha Sinnathamby saw potential in a 28ha parcel of bushland south west of Brisbane 30 years ago. Today Greater Springfield is home to 50,000 people, a population forecast to double by the end of the decade.

The son of a poor Malaysian rubber plantation worker, the now billionaire is the heart and soul of Australia’s largest – and the world’s 10th largest – masterplanned community.

Since purchasing the land for $7.9m with business partner Bob Sharpless, more than $17bn has been invested by public and private stakeholders.

Maha Sinnathamby is a tireless champion for Springfield and works across the local, state and federal government political divides.

The business is a family affair, with daughter Raynuha steering day-to-day operations.

Raynuha, a property lawyer and former Queensland president of the Property Council of Australia, has big plans to make Greater Springfield Australia’s first zero net energy city by 2038, embracing renewable energy, electric vehicles and delivering lower power bills. Springfield will soon open its $80m training facility for the Brisbane Lions AFL and AFLW side, a permanent home for the women’s team.

45. DAVID CRISAFULLI

State Opposition Leader

Former journalist David Crisafulli took the reins of the Queensland Opposition from Deb Frecklington following the LNP’s crushing defeat in the 2020 state election.

He served as a minister for the Newman government as a North Queensland-based MP but now represents the Gold Coast seat of Broadwater and has become a vocal critic as Opposition Leader of the government’s handling of health policies.

Crisafulli has brought an energy to the job that has put the government on its toes.

He is a hard working networker who noticeably is better connected in business circles than most serving Ministers.

The next challenge for Crisafulli will be to build out a policy platform, and to develop

better cut-through with the public – both of which could come with time.

Crisafulli also deserves credit for sorting out the internal chaos that plagued the LNP in 2020 and (with the help of Lawrence Springborg) getting the house in order and putting those distractions behind him and the party.

44. BERNARD REILLY

Australian Retirement Trust CEO

Bernard Reilly is the man in charge of $237bn worth of our retirement savings as boss of Australian Retirement Trust. ART was formed last year following the merger of QSuper and Sunsuper, two of Queensland’s biggest superannuation funds.

Reilly, a veteran financial executive, is in charge of expanding the fund’s membership, particularly in southern states. He was chief executive of Sunsuper prior to the merger.

Previously he was a member of the Board Investment Committee at NSW Treasury Corporation, which is the asset management arm and financial markets partner of the NSW Government. He also has 25 years’ experience with State Street Global Advisors, most recently based in Boston and Sydney in the role of executive vice president, global head of strategy.

43. KYLIE RAMPA

Queensland Investment Corporation CEO

Kylie Rampa has taken on one of the most influential jobs in the state.

She took the reins at the government-owned corporation in April, returning to Brisbane after 15 years in Sydney with Lendlease, where she was group head of investments and a member of the global leadership team and global investment committee.

Expect her to move up on this list as she settles into this critical gig and consolidates her power through using the influence only QIC can deliver as the link between government and the private sector.

Her 25-year career includes 13 years at Macquarie, and stints at Gandel Group, AMP and Schroders. Rampa and her husband, telco Inabox Group chair David Rampa, own a waterfront home at Noosa Heads that they bought in 2017 for $5.5m.

42. STIRLING HINCHLIFFE

Minister for Tourism, Industry Development and Innovation, and Minister for Sport

Stirling Hinchliffe has a bumper portfolio, covering key industries that drive the Queensland economy.

Now almost two years into the role, he has been given the added responsibility of Minister Assisting the Premier on Olympics and Paralympics Sport and Engagement.

As chair of the Olympics legacy committee, Hinchliffe has the opportunity to make his role more important than it has ever been in the state’s history – from attracting Olympic sports to set up their bases here to investments and support for the burgeoning sports tech industry and fresh thinking about community facilities.

Hinchliffe also oversees the influential Tourism and Events Queensland body which brings key events to the sunshine state, such as the Magic Millions, Australian PGA Championship, Brisbane Festival and NRL Magic Round.

41. TONY FITZGERALD

Corruption buster

Still an icon for transparency and proper governance in Queensland, Tony Fitzgerald presided over his namesake Fitzgerald Inquiry in the 1980s, which investigated systemic political corruption and abuse of power in Queensland.

The inquiry forever changed the political landscape in Queensland, and saw four ministers and former police commissioner Terry Lewis jailed. Lewis also lost his knighthood, while former premier Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen was tried for perjury.

Annastacia Palaszczuk appointed Fitzgerald to investigate the Crime and Corruption Commission this year, which resulted in a string of recommendations including that the watchdog consult with the Director of Public Prosecutions before laying charges after a string of failed prosecutions.

Regardless of that work, his unique place in our history ensures his power is enduring.

40. NOEL PEARSON

Cape York Institute for Policy and Leadership director

First Nations leader Noel Pearson has the ears of both Labor and Liberal governments. The lawyer, academic and land rights activist is the founder of the Cape York institute, which champions economic and social prosperity in this part of far north Queensland.

Pearson, who is from the Guugu Yimidhirr community of Hope Vale, is on the advisory group for the From the Heart campaign for an Indigenous voice to Parliament.

He played a pivotal role in the establishment of the Cape York Land Council in 1990, has led a number of major reforms for Cape communities and been a member of the expert panel on constitutional recognition of Indigenous Australians and the Referendum Council.

39. YVETTE D’ATH

Minister for Health and Ambulance Services

Stepping into the role in 2020, D’Ath continues to steer Queenslanders through the Covid-19 pandemic, taking advice from Chief Health Officer John Gerrard.

Through regular press conferences, she’s become one of the most recognisable faces in the state and has disseminated health information during a tumultuous time.

But D’Ath is far from a popular politician, with crises blighting the health system causing ongoing headaches for her and raising the ire of Queenslanders.

D’Ath, a former senior industrial advocate for the Australian Workers’ Union, has major issues to sort out, including unacceptable ambulance ramping and overcrowding of emergency departments.

38. MICHAEL RAVBAR

CFMEU State Secretary

In a Labor-run state, being head of Queensland’s most powerful union gives Michael Ravbar enormous influence.

Considered a law unto himself on construction sites, he has been slammed by a federal court judge for his Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union having a “disgraceful” record of breaking industrial laws “unabashed” – but that just wins him more support within his membership base, and the remarkable deals the CFMEU win for their workers have become stuff of workplace legend.

A director of superannuation fund BUSSZ, Ravbar is also an outspoken Labor national executive member.

Not afraid to call a spade a shovel, he has publicly savaged Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk for failing to excise a “creeping cancer” of lobbyists from her government. That’s a big call since Ravbar himself wields huge political clout.

37. MICK DE BRENNI

Minister for Public Works and Procurement

Mick “roll up the sleeves and just get on with the job” de Brenni is alleged to have rolled his sleeves up a little too far in his oversight of Queensland’s building watchdog the QBCC, facing allegations of ministerial interference.

As part of the state government’s economic recovery plan, de Brenni strengthened the Queensland government builder QBuild, announcing the return to trade-based apprenticeships under a program that is seeing an extra 300 trades-based staff, including 60 apprentices employed by the state building company.

A staunch member of Labor’s dominant Left faction, de Brenni is widely regarded by unionists in the building industry as the one who got away, having escaped scrutiny in Dr Jim Varghese’s report into the QBCC.

He has grown into a senior member of the Palaszczuk Cabinet.

36. WAYNE BENNETT

Dolphins rugby league coach

He may be 72 but his influence on the game is wide-ranging, ever-present and deep-seated. The game’s bosses, such as Peter V’landys, don’t make a big policy call without ringing Wayne Bennett – who remains one of the few to be equally highly rated by Sydney powerbrokers and their QRL rivals, with whom Bennett has special ties due to his 50-year friendship with chairman Bruce Hatcher.

As coach of the NRL’s latest team, Bennett also has a constant presence in the transfer market.

35. KATE FLANDERS

Queensland Labor state secretary

Replacing Julie-Anne Campbell in June, Kate Flanders is highly respected within the party and hopes are high her tenure will be a successful one.

She will have her hands full, however, leading up to the 2024 state election – when Labor will need to work hard and potentially change campaigning tactics if it wants to ward off the growing tide of Greens support in the inner-city electorates.

Part of the dominant Left faction, Flanders was previously assistant secretary of the Together Union – where she had spent most of the last two decades campaigning for access to better public services for Queenslanders and gender pay equity.

34. MEAGHAN SCANLON

Minister for the Environment and The Great Barrier Reef, Minister for Science and Youth Affairs

The ambitious Meaghan Scanlon is regarded by some as the next-generation's future leader of the Labor Party.

She is developing a reputation for being more focused on policy than politics, and has the distinction of being the youngest woman elected to parliament, at the age of 24 in 2017.

She is also the youngest person ever appointed to cabinet.

Scanlon is considered one of the more competent ministers in the government and has so far managed to avoid any major controversies.

She is well-liked among the stakeholders in her portfolios of environment, science and youth affairs – and fosters close working relationships with media, something that is rare with the current generation of Labor MPs.

33. WAYNE SWAN

ALP national president

It may have been more than three years since he left Parliament, and almost a decade since he was Treasurer, but Wayne Swan still carries serious political clout.

As national president of the ALP he helps shape the party’s policy, direction and has access to the right ears. And he still engages with his former protégé Jim Chalmers – the current Treasurer.

The fact that the Right-faction leader has been able to fend off challenges from Labor’s dominant Left shows he still has plenty of that political skill that saw him take hold of the nation’s purse strings.

The MP who now holds his former seat of Lilley is also now the Minister for Aged Care and Sport, Anika Wells – giving him another close connection into the corridors of power.

Anybody who thinks Swan has gone quietly into the political night would be wrong.

32. IAN LEAVERS

Queensland Police Union president

The union spruiks representing about 12,000 members – which is the vast majority of those employed as police officers in Queensland, making Leavers a seriously powerful voice.

In the top job at this powerful union since 2009, Ian Leavers is still technically a serving police officer.

His biggest issue recently has been relating to the State Government’s Commission of Inquiry into the police response to domestic and family violence.

Leavers had rejected suggestions the police culture was at any way at fault, and labelled the report as “woke” and “out of touch”.

But information coming to light during the inquiry – at which Commissioner Katarina Carroll has been heavily criticised over the culture of the force – would suggest otherwise.

31. ADRIAN SCHRINNER

Lord Mayor of Brisbane

Quietly spoken but a strong conservative voice, Schrinner does not have the dynamic personal brand of some of his better known predecessors – but there is no denying his passion for the city.

His style is more in line with the long-term councillor he is rather than a Campbell Newman or Jim Soorley-like crash-through character – but his comprehensive election win over the bombastic former television reporter Patrick Condren suggests that is what the people of Brisbane want.

Following his election in early 2020 (he had been appointed, not elected, Lord Mayor in 2019 when Graham Quirk retired), Schrinner played a pivotal role in the city securing the Olympic Games for the city and will be a powerful influence on the planning of the major 2032 event.

He will also be judged on Brisbane’s recovery from the floods earlier this year.

He and wife Nina are well known for their support of campaigns to end domestic violence and homeless and to further breast cancer research.

Both effective public speakers, they are also strong supporters of Brisbane’s artistic and cultural development and are considered very approachable.

30. IAN FRAZER

Translational Research Institute Foundation Board chair

His name needs no introduction but beyond Ian Frazer’s obvious achievements – most notably his work with the late molecular virologist Jian Zhou led to the development of a vaccine which prevents infection with HPV and cervical cancer – he also has the persuasive touch.

The Scottish-born professor was the founding CEO and director of research for the TRI in Brisbane, and now drives fundraising for medical research through his role on the board and as the University of Queensland Diamantina Institute’s cancer immunology group head.

The 2006 Australian of the Year, he was the 2008 recipient of the Prime Minister’s Prize for Science and declared an Australian Living Treasure in 2012: all worthy awards when you have literally discovered the cure for cancer.

But those are all also more than titles – they carry clout in the medical research field and beyond. Frazer is also chair of the advisory board for the Medical Research Future Fund.

29. LI CUNXIN

Queensland Ballet artistic director

The man otherwise known as Mao’s Last Dancer (the title of his international bestseller and Hollywood film) can move mountains, with an unparalleled ability to extract endless millions from the State Government as well as Queensland’s biggest donors, including Australia’s richest person Gina Rinehart.

His has become the envy of ballet companies throughout Australia, with Li Cunxin’s persuasive genius resulting in a spectacular $100 million redevelopment of the Thomas Dixon Centre in West End.

Growing the retinue of dancers and taking the Queensland Ballet interstate and overseas, he could charm the birds out of the trees. His transformation of the Brisbane-based company is one of the great success stories of the past decade.

28. ANIKA WELLS

Federal Minister for Sport and Aged Care

She burst on the scene in 2019 as the MP who jokingly quipped “Queensland is the best country in Australia” and has taken her profile from strength to strength and straight to the ministry in three years.

Anika Wells, MP for Lilley, is from the new generation of parliamentarians with policy smarts, political nous, and boundless energy – all ingredients of a weapon set to rise through the ranks.

Indeed, she has already been one of the Albanese Government’s more visible Ministers – and her enthusiasm and sense of excitement has been a breath of fresh air.

But the former compensation lawyer and Moreton Bay College captain faces a challenging few years as the Minister responsible for the always-tough aged care sector.

She has been named by the Prime Minister to sit on the Organising Committee for the Olympic Games, so will have a juggling act to play as pleas for billions of dollars in Olympic funding for her beloved home state intensify.

27. JAYNE HRDLICKA

Virgin Australia CEO

American-born Jayne Hrdlicka has become one of the most recognised CEOs in Queensland after taking on the role of Virgin Australia boss in 2020.

Hrdlicka has steered Virgin out of voluntary administration and is now navigating a new growth path for the airline as Australia recovers from the global pandemic.

With so much of Queensland’s prosperity riding on the tourism sector, especially as we head towards the 2032 Olympics, Hrdlicka has become one of the state’s most powerful CEOs. Brisbane-based Hrdlicka is a veteran of the aviation industry having previously held senior roles at Qantas, including CEO of budget carrier Jetstar.

She is also well-known to sports lovers as the chairman and board president of Tennis Australia.

26. MURRAY WATT

Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Minister for Emergency Management

When Anthony Albanese was deciding his frontbench, it was no sure bet that Queensland would be guaranteed a second cabinet minister.

But off the back of his performance not just on prosecuting attacks against government policies – and particularly since taking on the emergency management portfolio where he prosecuted a damaging case against the Morrison Government’s response to the 2022 floods – Watt gained the trust of the Prime Minister for his judgment and political acumen.

He has since hit the ground running in the agriculture portfolio, doing well under pressure as he takes charge of the response to foot and mouth disease on the nation’s doorstop.

Watt will be a powerful and well connected voice for Queensland around the Cabinet table.

25. STEVE JOHNSTON

Suncorp CEO

A true powerbroker, Steve Johnston oversaw the July 2022 sale of Suncorp’s banking operations to ANZ in a deal worth almost $5bn.

As Suncorp’s first Queensland-born chief executive, Johnston has been a break from the past for one of Queensland’s biggest companies. Suncorp has seen a procession of out-of-town bosses – from British tank commander Patrick Snowball to US-born Steve Jones – appointments that some say reflected a banana-benders’ corporate cultural cringe.

Johnston, who in his early days at Suncorp would leave his battered old RAV4 among the expensive European models in the corporate car park, has brought a more down-to-earth style to Suncorp. The son of service station operators and a graduate of Mansfield State High School, he is conservative, self-assured and polite to a fault.

24. MILTON DICK

Speaker of the Australian House of Representatives

An otherwise understated local MP, Milton Dick is a classic example of a powerful behind-the-scenes party operative with a non-controversial public profile.

The younger brother of Treasurer Cameron Dick, he has played serious roles within Queensland Labor for a long time – including as state secretary during Kevin Rudd’s ’07 win and as a councillor on the Brisbane City Council.

In July 2022, following the ALP’s election victory, Dick was nominated as the party’s candidate for Speaker of the House of Representatives. He was chosen under a factional deal in which the Right faction would choose the Speaker and the Left faction would choose the President of the Senate. He defeated Rob Mitchell, the incumbent second deputy speaker, with the support of the Queensland and New South Wales Right factions.

Dick has promised to be a new style of Speaker, eschewing the pomp and ceremony and lavish overseas trips for a focus on ensuring schoolchildren across the nation have the same access to learning resources as those few that travel to Canberra for their end of primary school trip.

But the essence of Dick’s power base when it comes to his inclusion on this list lies firmly in his ties to the Premier, with Annastacia Palaszczuk known to lean on her close friend for all manner of political counsel.

23. KATE JONES

NRL Commissioner and Tech Council of Australia executive director

This list is not just one based on the power that comes with the position you hold, but more about how you use what you have. And Jones deserves her spot in the top 25 because of the way she actively and relentlessly uses her extensive network and knowledge of politics and the way this government works to influence decision-makers.

The former state Labor minister, who presided over the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, is now a member of the Australian Rugby League Commission and was at the forefront of the decision to grant the Dolphins the 17th NRL licence – and her connections helped rugby league navigate a tricky course through Covid.

She has so impressed during her time on the ARLC that there are whispers Jones may become its first female chair down the track.

But she is not only highly rated by league bosses. Jones also has powerful connections nationally (and not just in Labor circles) – and is also on the Paralympics Australia board.

She remains the president of the state’s Labor Unity faction, and is also shaping the country’s digital future through working with government and players across the $167bn tech sector.

Jones also consults for PWC and has had her on-staff lobbying hat on for the past 18 months as strategy and engagement advisor for rich-lister Bevan Slattery and his digital infrastructure platform Soda.

With her two-year post-politics restraint period over next month, it turns out that there is no chance Jones is about to fade away.

22. JON PERSLEY

Premier’s Deputy chief of staff

A Labor Right powerbrok­er and close confidante of Annastacia Palaszczuk, Persley – as the official representative of the Premier’s faction – is the most influential man in the Premier’s office.

He quit his Federal Labor assistant secretary role to join the Premier more than two years ago, and has become the person she turns to and relies on when it comes to most matters.

Persley – a former adviser to then federal opposition leader Bill Shorten and former treasurer Wayne Swan – has worked with Palaszczuk previously as her director of government strategy.

He is also understood to have been earmarked as the successor to Palaszczuk in her ultra-safe seat of Inala, a sign both of their personal and factional closeness and that we have only seen the beginnings of Persley’s political career.

21. BETH MOHLE

Queensland Nurses and Midwives’ Union secretary

Under a Labor government beholden to the unions, Beth Mohle is a powerful figure. She has become a fixture of Australia’s medical universe in her nearly four decades of work as a nurse.

Before she climbed the ranks to become the Queensland Nurses and Midwives’ Union secretary, she worked as a nurse on the floor treating and healing patients, and completed her Registered Nurse training at the Royal Brisbane Hospital.

She’s been a passionate supporter of medical unions and has campaigned for a number of policies to advance the interests of nurses and midwives.

She became the organiser of the Queensland Nurses Union in 1991 and in 2011, stepped into the role of QNMU Secretary in 2011.

20. GRACE GRACE

Minister for Education, Industrial Relations and Racing

A diehard life-long unionist, Grace Grace has been part of Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk’s inner sanctum since returning as the Member for Brisbane Central (later renamed McConnel) in 2015 after losing the seat three years earlier.

A very personable MP, Grace is close to Ms Palaszczuk and is her regular companion at events and dinner parties along with the Premier’s partner Reza Adib.

Grace also oversees a range of key portfolios – and sits on the powerful Cabinet Budget Review Committee.

More than a few people with an astute inside view insist, however, that her reliance on the unions – she was famously the first female head of the Queensland Council of Unions – prevents her wielding as much power as she otherwise might in education, industrial relations and racing spheres.

She has been known to backflip on issues to appease the Queensland Teachers Union in particular.

19. REZA ADIB

Premier’s partner

When this man-about-town and laparoscopic surgeon began dating Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk in July 2021, his influence of course grew exponentially.

Some say the doctor who lives in a riverside Indooroopilly mansion has distracted Palaszczuk from her job. There is no direct evidence of this being the case, but there is certainly no denying that as her confidante and companion, Adib has the ear of one of the most powerful people in the state.

The extent of that influence was clear when Palaszczuk made an error of judgment in allowing Adib to attend a high-level meeting with IOC officials with her in Sydney. The Premier, who is also the self-appointed Minister for the Olympics, later apologised for the mistake – but maintains it was her understanding it would be an informal catch-up.

The Premier also took Adib to Hamilton Island Race Week in August, cancelling a Cabinet meeting while on leave to attend a luxury yacht getaway with celebrities – later justifying it by saying the last time she attended she was also accompanied, by the then-tourism minister.

18. KATIE PAGE AND GERRY HARVEY

Magic Millions bosses

Apart from their thriving Harvey Norman business empire, the husband and wife team are the owners of the successful Magic Millions business – and their racing clout stretches through the ownership of several studs and more than 1000 racehorses.

Queensland-raised Page, one of four daughters of a bank manager who gave his children confidence by claiming they could achieve anything they wanted, has been a trailblazer for women in business and in sport, including by becoming the NRL’s first female board member in 2004.

Page is also determined to back women in business – and is a key backer of the Gold Coast Bulletin’s ever-popular Woman of the Year awards.

17. MARK BAILEY

Minister for Transport and Main Roads

A reliable member of Cabinet, Mark Bailey is trusted by the Premier and considered a real voice of reason when the senior Ministers meet behind closed doors.

His critics would say he spends too much time on Twitter instead of in the real world, and that his often-combative relationship with the media works against him.

However, while his power base has waned with the departure of Jackie Trad, he remains the second most senior figure in Labor’s dominant Left faction – which controls caucus, behind Deputy Premier Steven Miles. Bailey is rated by some, but far from all, as a potential next leader of the parliamentary party.

As Minister, he is methodical and across the detail – and demanding, in a good way, of his bureaucrats.

An insight into the protection the then-powerful Trad afforded him was given by the fact he somehow managed to survive the so-called “Mangocube” scandal in which he came under fire for his use, and subsequent deletion, of the private email account mangocube6@yahoo.co.uk.

It sparked an investigation by the Crime and Corruption Commission, which later found “no evidence” to suggest he wanted to “conceal corrupt conduct”.

But such was the controversy and political pain, the affair would likely have led to an early exit for most other Ministers.

Bailey is in a long-term relationship with rising Labor star and fellow minister Meaghan Scanlon.

16. RACHEL HUNTER

Department of Premier and Cabinet director-general

Hunter holds the role that is the most powerful in Queensland’s public service, and is the first

female to hold the illustrious position.

As formerly under-treasurer during the critical early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic, Hunter is highly regarded and accomplished, having worked across various portfolios over an extensive career.

She is not someone who attracts controversy, and is not seen as a polarising figure, but she has considerable sway across the public service.

She will have a lot of influence in the way in which the critical findings of the Coaldrake Review into public service culture are implemented over the coming months.

15. HARVEY LISTER

ASM Global (Asia Pacific) chairman and CEO

There are few people better networked in business – particularly in regards to entertainment, sport and tourism – than Harvey Lister, who is highly regarded for his ability to make things happen for Queensland.

Lister’s ASM Global runs some of the world’s biggest venues and his links to NBA teams, NFL stadiums, concert halls and auditoriums across the globe give him an undeniable edge when it comes to advocating for major acts and events to come to Queensland.

His opinions are valued by top-level government officials, and he is one of very few people in the state who could rightly expect their phone call to be answered by everyone right up to the Premier.

Lister’s next major push is for Brisbane Live, a proposed multipurpose entertainment and sporting arena at Roma Street Station.

Lister, who started in the events’ game with Rod Pilbeam in the mid-1970s, also oversees operation of the Brisbane Convention Centre, Suncorp Stadium and Brisbane Entertainment Centre.

14. PETER V’LANDYS

ARLC chairman

Along with his chief executive Andrew Abdo, these two Sydneysiders form a formidable team north of the Tweed – running the competition that Queenslanders are most passionate about.

V’landys is ultimately in charge of the direction and expansion of rugby league, with Abdo proving to be a reliable and high performing chief executive – but one who has no choice but to live in the shadow of his colourful chairman.

Their mishandling of the recent debate over where this year’s grand final will be held aside (Sydney ended up the host, as always expected), V’landys and Abdo have shown commitment to Queensland through the addition of the state’s fourth NRL team, the Dolphins, next season. Well connected across politics and sport, V’landys has also shown his hand by bolstering the NRL’s off-field position in Queensland with the recent acquisition of the Gambaro Hotel and iconic seafood restaurant in Caxton Street, just up the road from Suncorp Stadium.

13. SHANNON FENTIMAN

State Attorney-General

Shannon Fentiman was strong out of the gate after being appointed attorney-general and has built a reputation since for being a workhorse, with the bulk of legislation currently coming before the parliament being within her remit.

As the most senior female member of the Left in the caucus, Fentiman is viewed by some as a potential leader of the state parliamentary Labor Party in the future – a view evidenced by the Opposition’s recent attacks on her.

The powerful advocate for domestic violence reform gets along well with the stakeholders in her portfolio. She ushered affirmative consent legislation reform through parliament last year and has worked closely with Lloyd and Sue Clarke – parents of Hannah who along with her three children was murdered by her estranged partner – to create a taskforce to investigate coercive control legislation.

She has also taken a commonsense approach to much-needed shield laws to protect the confidential sources of journalists – critical in a democracy.

Fentiman is now under increasing fire to take stronger action to curb youth crime as juvenile offenders continue to make a mockery of the law.

Definitely one of the Palaszczuk Government’s better performers due to her willingness to actually get on with doing stuff as a good activist attorney-general should, Fentiman deserves her spot high on this list.

12. GINA RINEHART

Australian Outback Beef and Hancock Prospecting executive chairman

She might be technically based in Western Australia, but there is no doubt our nation’s richest person is staking a massive claim on Queensland and, as we know, money talks.

Rinehart’s huge cattle operation S Kidman & Co – it and its parent company Australian Outback Beef have net assets of $392m – is moving its head office to the sunshine state.

Rinehart is also Australia’s biggest landholder, controlling more than 9.2m hectares or 1.2 per cent of the country’s landmass. But it seems Queensland is her favourite patch.

She is feted at red carpet events, including the Brisbane Fashion Festival (where she sponsors the emerging designers’ parade) and the Queensland Ballet, of which she is a major donor.

Rinehart is a big wig in Australia’s Olympics efforts, being patron of four teams and the largest single non-government contributor to the Olympic effort.

The mining magnate and daughter of Lang Hancock also loves Queensland property. Last year she announced she was going to buy the Great Keppel Island Resort for a rumoured $50m and splash millions bringing the tourism icon back to life. The deal fell through but she does own a riverfront mansion in Brisbane which she paid $18.5m for in 2017 – and recently paid more than $76m for four homes at Sunshine Beach.

11. CAMERON DICK

State Treasurer

Perhaps the state’s most invisible Treasurer in decades, Dick is still the person who controls the purse strings and so warrants a place high on this list.

The former barrister is Labor’s Right faction pick to succeed Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk as the party’s parliamentary leader, but his faction’s power is rapidly declining – and that is not good news for Dick, who had anticipated he would be leader if Palaszczuk had as expected lost the 2015 election to the incumbent premier Campbell Newman.

Dick is known to keep his counsel within Cabinet, and is quiet too when it comes to building business relationships. Most locally-based CEOs privately lament their lack of contact with the Treasurer.

He is also on the nose with big business after his June budget which slugged mining companies and businesses with annual wages bills exceeding $10m with new taxes – and increased the tax on online bookmakers without any consultation with anyone impacted, other than the Anacta-represented Tabcorp.

All that said, this former Churchie-educated Cameron Dick remains a force inside the government, with a long list of experience including serving as attorney-general and health minister. He also forms a formidable political duo alongside brother Milton Dick, the Speaker of the Lower House in Canberra.

10. ANDREW LIVERIS

Brisbane Organising Committee for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games president

The former boss of Dow Chemicals has been installed as head of the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games organising committee. And while it is still a decade until the Brisbane Games, if he stays BOCOG president Liveris will be leading this list before long as there will be nothing bigger in Queensland than the Olympics over the next decade.

The eternal challenge for Liveris (and his bloated committee and yet to be appointed chief executive) will be keeping the Games somewhere near its goal of being cost-neutral in its $4.5 billion budget, no mean feat given a 2020 study showed most Olympic Games cost up to three times as much as their initial budget.

Since stepping down from Dow, the Queensland University graduate has chaired companies such as electric car maker Lucid Motors. He now lives in Sydney, spends months each year overseas – but by virtue of his role deserves his spot in the top 10 here.

9. JOHN WAGNER AND FAMILY

Wagner Corporation

They’re the knockabout family from the Darling Downs famous for getting things done with a bulldozer or six, but don’t underestimate the political clout of brothers John, Denis, Neill, Joe and father Henry.

Who else could get the State Government to sign a sweetheart deal for them to build the Covid-led quarantine facility at their Wellcamp airport outside Toowoomba? Until July, details of the highly controversial agreement were kept secret.

No tender process occurred and the facility, which cost taxpayers $223.5m, was underused before being mothballed in August. Since it opened in February only 700 people stayed there, the equivalent of $320,000 per person.

John Wagner has been hand-picked by Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk to sit on the Olympic Legacy Committee to ensure the benefits of the Games extend beyond 2032. The Wagner group, which began as a small concreting company, is now one of the leading producers of construction materials and services to Australian and international markets.

The family sprang to prominence in 2014 when it built the Wellcamp airport, the first international public airport in Australia since Tullamarine nearly 50 years ago. The airport was completed in 19 months, an astonishingly fast time for such a project.

8. STEVEN MILES

Deputy Premier

Steven Miles replaced Jackie Trad as the leader of the Left faction in the state Labor Party caucus in 2020, meaning he has the numbers and so is in the box seat to be the next leader.

Miles rose to prominence during the early stages of the pandemic as Health Minister providing daily Covid-19 updates, but his willingness to be the government’s frontman in some comical Canberra-bashing has seen him painted in some circles since as a clown.

This is unfair, as Miles is actually a diligent and hard-working minister who holds as commonsense a view of the world as any former union organiser can hope to.

Now Minister for State Development, Infrastructure, Local Government and Planning, he has a broad remit across government – and a close working relationship with the Premier.

A genuinely nice guy, Miles could benefit from putting his natural inclinations aside and taking the lead of former strong deputies to muscle up a bit more and actually use the power he has by virtue of his position and portfolios.

The upcoming Housing Summit offers Miles the perfect opportunity to deliver genuine reform to the biggest issue facing Queensland – and one that is right in his Ministerial wheelhouse.

7. JOHN COATES

Australian Olympic Committee past president

Success has many fathers, but when it comes to the successful bid for Brisbane to host the 2032 Olympics there is but one person who can truly claim the credit: John Dowling Coates.

He reframed Olympic host bidding criteria from a scramble among cities to a preferred candidate option so Brisbane could break away from the pack and seal the deal.

Now when Coates says jump, the Premier asks how high.

Well connected on both sides of parliament, he has one key advantage over friends and particularly rivals – he outlasts them all, and is often referred to as the nation’s most successful never-elected politician.

He was president of the Australian Olympic Committee for 32 years before stepping down this year, but will continue as honorary president of the AOC and vice-president of the organising committee of the 2032 Brisbane Olympics. He remains the only national Olympics boss in history to deliver two games to his homeland (Brisbane and Sydney).

6. EVAN MOORHEAD

Anacta Strategies director

His firm might have been technically banned from lobbying the government after scathing findings of undue influence by the Coaldrake Review, but that hasn’t stopped businesses lining up to buy what Evan Moorhead is selling: valuable connections in the political and regulatory sectors.

The former Labor MP was the party’s state secretary between 2014 and 2018, then Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk’s director of strategy until May 2019 before he left to immediately start up his lobbying firm – which subsequently (and unsurprisingly) then quickly developed the most remarkable of access to government.

He was then seconded back to work on the Labor Party’s October 2020 campaign at the same time as still lobbying the government – a situation criticised by the Coaldrake Review, which recommended that anyone who had worked on a campaign be banned from lobbying the government for that term in office.

This recommendation was accepted by the government, but his firm in Brisbane is still raking in new clients and keeping existing ones in the know.

Moorhead is known to have boasted that every time the media reported on his extraordinary access to the very top of government, his firm’s phones would start ringing from prospective new clients.

5. JOHN BATTAMS

Queensland Labor President

Few have more influence over the Labor Party than John Battams – and that is not because of the position he holds, which is usually no more than a ceremonial one.

His power is grounded in the fact that the Premier needs both his support and that of Gary Bullock to retain power, with an alliance between Labor Unity and the Left having made her leader – and kept her there since.

Battams’ influence is built on a close personal relationship with the Premier. She listens to him. He is one of Palaszczuk’s true confidantes – although there have been signs of this waning in recent months, with whispers he has been denied requested meetings.

As a continuous party member for almost ​​40 years, Battams became party president in 2016, having served as the Queensland Council of Unions president from 2011.

Born and raised in Mackay, he has a strong history of trade union leadership in Queensland, combined with an active involvement in the ALP.

A former teacher, he worked for five years as a Queensland Teachers Union organiser and subsequently served 21 years as QTU general secretary.

4. JIM CHALMERS

Federal Treasurer

Businesses across the state could rightly claim a home advantage with Jim Chalmers being a Queenslander. The man who controls Australia’s purse strings seems to have rocketed straight out of Logan to become one of the nation’s most powerful office holders.

But the rise of Jim Chalmers has been far more than a decade in the making. He spent six years at the heart of the Labor Government during the global financial crisis, including three as chief of staff to then-treasurer (and fellow Queenslander) Wayne Swan.

His first big test as Treasurer is set to come in the form of an updated October budget, outlining Labor’s priorities in government for the first time since 2013. Early signals are that Chalmers has enlisted all his experience in the preparation of this budget, bringing a calm and steady approach rarely found in an incoming treasurer.

Chalmers has been the Member for Rankin since 2013, representing the people and suburbs of southern Brisbane and Logan City where he grew up.

Prior to his election to Parliament, he was executive director of the Chifley Research Centre.

3. ANTHONY ALBANESE

Prime Minister of Australia

As an avid Rabbitohs and Blues supporter who lives in inner-western Sydney, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is no Queenslander. But by virtue of leading the nation, there is no doubt he still wields power and influence in the state – and at least constitutionally, he is of course the most powerful person in Queensland.

Despite rarely being seen together on the election campaign trail, Albanese has a decent working relationship with Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk – which could play in the state’s favour.

He also knows he needs to win seats in Queensland in 2025 if he is to retain power, after Labor lost one seat here and failed to win any back from the Coalition at the May election.

The infrastructure-mad PM will be keen to invest in nation-building projects in Queensland but given the state of the budget, he will also keep a tight hold on the purse strings – so the Premier will have to prove the value of any pet projects she is hoping to get over the line.

This all means Albanese will be spending plenty of time in Queensland in the next three years. One of his first trips post-election, excluding his overseas charm offensive, was to Gladstone. Expect to see a continued push from “Albo” to reconnect with the regions.

He has a tight relationship with Queensland Cabinet Minister Murray Watt, and while being from opposing factions with Jim Chalmers, he and the Treasurer are already proving a formidable team.

2. ANNASTACIA PALASZCZUK

Premier and Olympics Minister

One of Queensland’s longest serving premiers, Annastacia Palaszczuk may find the tide is finally starting to turn against her after integrity scandals and the distinct perception that she has “checked out”.

The Inala MP’s passion for red carpet events, flanked by surgeon beau Reza Adib, and being seen to prioritise sports stars and celebrities over ordinary Queenslanders, particularly during Covid lockdowns and mandates, has not served her well.

But she remains a Labor hero – and her record of electoral success built on a truly extraordinary political radar (and a fair dose of good luck) means you would be a brave punter to bet against her at the next election.

And her knack for obliterating any who would seek to challenge her position sees her still in the box seat for the 2024 election … for now.

Her influence over the government was significantly increased following Jackie Trad’s 2020 departure amid a Crime and Corruption Commission investigation but Palaszczuk now has to shake off her image as the “party Premier” to regain the trust of Labor voters.

While Palaszczuk was widely viewed as the accidental premier after trouncing Campbell Newman in 2015, should she hang on in 2024 she would become the second longest-serving Queensland premier in history after Sir Joh “don’t you worry about that” Bjelke-Petersen.

1. GARY BULLOCK

United Workers Unions state secretary and national political director

He’s the man dubbed Queensland Labor’s kingmaker – the “faceless” union powerbroker making or breaking political fortunes. But those who have worked with Gary Bullock, known as “Blocker”, say he is more quiet and astute than he is a bullish force.

The chief negotiator of Labor’s dominant Left faction may prefer to stay out of the headlines, but that is increasingly unlikely as the machinations of the Palaszczuk Government are increasingly exposed and the enormous weight of lobbyists revealed.

From its South Brisbane headquarters the UWU represents some 150,000 workers in hospitality, ambulance and health, manufacturing, tourism, supermarkets, education (early childhood educators, teacher aides), cleaning, aged care, call centres and logistics.

But Bullock is influential not simply because of the sheer number of different jobs that fall under the UWU umbrella. He has power because he bankrolled the campaigns of a large number of now-Labor MPs when the party was considered a slim chance to win the 2015 election, meaning many in the caucus owe him their job – and will vote the way he tells them.

The Premier also owes her position to Bullock and the alliance between her faction and the Left that made her leader in 2012.

And so while his style is to generally keep his counsel and only engage strategically, decisions are still rarely made around the Cabinet table without the question being asked: “What does Blocker think?”

You can’t get any closer to the top of the power chain than that.

HOW DID WE DETERMINE THE LISTS?

Firstly, The Courier-Mail senior leadership team engaged the newsroom – reporters on the ground and in the know, those whose job it is to cover these sectors every single day.

The leadership team then used its combined years of experience and extensive contacts to brainstorm more names, adding and culling – all the while consulting with external experts and trusted sources in relevant fields.

We have excluded executives and editors of News Corp, The Courier-Mail, Foxtel and Fox Sports. That is because News Corp Australia is the publisher of The Courier-Mail, and owns 65 per cent of Foxtel.

We understand that any such list is bound to be subjective, and is by no means exhaustive – but this list is as accurate a one as possible to produce in terms of where things are right now.

It is a unique insight into who calls the shots in Queensland. And as a subscriber it is yours exclusively.

But remember that power is more often than not temporary. Who plays large in 2022 might not be so powerful in 2023. Watch this space.