Palaszczuk Government Minister accused of acting against Jackie Trad

A senior Palaszczuk Government minister has been accused of whipping up anger towards Deputy Premier Jackie Trad amid the fallout from Labor’s federal election drubbing in Queensland.

SENIOR Palaszczuk Government minister Cameron Dick is being accused by his colleagues of being the architect of division within the administration amid the fallout from Labor’s federal election drubbing in Queensland.

Mr Dick, Queensland’s infrastructure and state development minister, is being blamed for whipping up a push to topple Jackie Trad after his Right faction spear carriers spent the weekend backgrounding against the Deputy Premier and Left faction leader.

But a senior right source said the claim was “categorically untrue” and that “the only internal conversations have been that everyone needs to support the Premier and Deputy Premier through thick and thin”.

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Queensland Minister for State Development Cameron Dick (AAP Image/Glenn Hunt)

Ms Trad is acting premier until tomorrow night after Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk jetted out on a trade mission to Japan on Sunday that some of her colleagues thought she should have cancelled amid internal unrest.

Ms Palaszczuk, Ms Trad and Mr Dick showed off a unified front at a weekend press conference at SeaWorld, however the Premier chose not to appear near the theme park’s new shark tank for television cameras.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk (centre) speaking to media at Sea World with Deputy Premier Jackie Trad and Infrastructure Minister Cameron Dick (left). Photo by Richard Gosling

Mr Dick has long been touted as a future Labor leader, including during the dark days of the Bligh Government.

However, the Left faction currently control the numbers within caucus.

“The narrative that Labor lost because of Jackie Trad is ridiculous but I think they’re doing a good job of getting that up,” one MP said of her detractors.

“I do think the Right are using it as a way to dust up Jackie,” said another.

“Annastacia Palaszczuk is his main impediment,” one MP said of Mr Dick’s leadership ambitions.

“Trad’s loyalty to Annastacia Palaszczuk is another.

“He needs to hurt her before he can get to where he wants to get to.”

Left faction figures said Anthony Lynham and Stirling Hinchliffe — ministers who are both members of Mr Dick’s Right faction — had last week made unsolicited calls to a number of disgruntled backbenchers.

Queensland Deputy Premier Jackie Trad (AAP Image/Darren England)

According to insiders, the pair argued that Ms Trad was, in part, to blame for Federal Labor’s collapse in regional Queensland and that the Government would need to change direction to survive.

Dr Lynham was heavily criticised for his role in the behind-the-scenes manoeuvring with his Left colleagues saying he had limited experience within the Labor Party and had failed as Queensland’s Mines Ministers to sell the Government’s record on resources.

The claims are denied by a senior Right source.

Despite anger from the regions, some southeast MPs still feel Bill Shorten alone was to blame and vitriol around Adani has been overblown.

Meanwhile, a bloc of Labor MPs from Townsville to Maryborough is so far holding off on its threats to create a sub-caucus that would meet separately, like the Nationals do in Canberra.

Cabinet sources say Ms Palaszczuk has promised to speak with them more regularly and she was at pains last week to promote her administration as a “listening government” while on a three-day tour of Mackay, Townsville and Cairns.

Ms Trad last week fended off “ridiculous” suggestions she could be after Ms Palaszczuk’s job, her supporters describing the pair as fiercely loyal to one another.

Originally published as Palaszczuk Government Minister accused of acting against Jackie Trad