‘Union thugs’: Annastacia Palaszczuk resigned after factional pressure, according to report

Barnaby Joyce has made a bold claim about what sparked the shock resignation of Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk over the weekend.

Barnaby Joyce has blamed “union thugs” for the shock resignation of Annastacia Palaszczuk over the weekend.

“I think we know why she has gone — the union thugs have got in there,” the Nationals MP told Seven’s Sunrise on Monday morning.

The Queensland Premier announced on Sunday that she was retiring from politics, following months of speculation that she was on her way out after nine years in power.

She will officially step down as Premier this week and has thrown her support behind her deputy, Steven Miles, to succeed her.

A tearful Ms Palaszczuk told reporters that she felt “now is the time” for her to walk away and that she began considering her retirement during a two-week holiday in Italy in September.

“If you were wondering, I turned my mind to this when I was trying to have a holiday with my partner,” she said.

“Everyone deserves a break. Finally, my mind was made up at national cabinet last week when I saw so many new faces. Renewal is a good thing.”

But according to a report in The Australian on Monday, Ms Palaszczuk caved to factional pressure to resign, after she was urged by powerbroker and union leader Gary Bullock and Queenland ALP president John Battams to consider her future in recent days.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk. Picture: Liam Kidston

Despite her overwhelming victory over the Coalition in 2020 — which saw her become the first woman leader in Australia to be re-elected — recent opinion polls showed that her popularity was in free-fall and Labor was on track to lose at next October’s state election.

According to The Australian, some unions had threatened to cut campaign spending if the Premier refused to step down.

Speaking to Sunrise, Mr Joyce was asked by host Nat Barr whether governments should “take to heart” Ms Palaszczuk’s claim that “renewal is a good thing”.

“I think we know why she has gone — the union thugs have got in there and said she is going, full stop,” the former Deputy Prime Minister said.

“And then we’ll see [Treasurer Cameron Dick] and Miles scratch each other’s eyes out to become the next. They keep saying they will refocus the government. If you are going to refocus the government, what were you doing for the last nine years? You are part of the government that apparently was not focused.”

Mr Joyce added that he wished the outgoing Premier “all the very best”.

Union powerbroker Gary Bullock. Picture: Supplied

“I was there at election night after they lost the state election to Campbell Newman [in 2012] and I spoke to Anna and she was one of seven that were left,” he said.

“It was remarkable that she became the Premier for nine years from that [after the 2015 election] so well done to Anna, but this is not by Anna’s choosing. This is by union thugs’ choosing.”

The remarks prompted federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek to fire back.

“It is such a negative take on what is an incredible record,” Ms Plibersek said.

“She has been Premier for over eight years. She is the longest-serving female Premier we have had and the only one to be re-elected.”

Ms Palaszczuk has served as the member for Inala since 2006.

She succeeded her father, Henry, in the western Brisbane seat.

Before she became a member of Queensland’s legislative assembly, Ms Palaszczuk was a political adviser and has led the Queensland branch of the Australian Labor Party since 2012.

Ms Palaszczuk became a contentious figure during the Covid pandemic, where she implemented strict border controls which ultimately led to low levels of the virus in the community for much of 2020 and 2021.

National MP Barnaby Joyce on Sunrise. Picture: Seven

She became known as the “accidental Premier” after leading a then-seven seat opposition to defeat Mr Newman in 2015.

“I have given it my all and I have run a marathon,” she said on Sunday.

“I’ve dedicated my whole life to community service, there’s no greater honour. Nine years, it feels like an eternity.”

In her announcement, she encouraged Queenslanders to “come say hello” if they saw her out and about in the future, telling them, “Don’t be a stranger.”

She also revealed on Sunday that she has “no job” lined up for next year.

“I have no job,” she revealed.

“So come January – I’ll also be finishing up as the member for Inala this month as well – but look I think, I’ll be out there promoting Queensland in some sort of capacity. Look around you, this state has so much to offer. There’s buildings everywhere, the transport systems, we’re making things in Queensland. Honestly, our best days are ahead of us. What has inspired me most is the people I’ve met out and about.”

She added it was “for others to decide” what kind of legacy she would leave in her wake.