Annastacia Palaszczuk’s personal popularity plunges 8 points in a year as union leader admits the Premier is under threat

Annastacia Palaszczuk’s fragile hold on government in Queensland is under mounting threat, with new polling data revealing her personal popularity has fallen again.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk is facing renewed threats over her leadership.

The powerful head of Queensland’s peak union body has acknowledged there is “disquiet” in the labour movement over Annastacia Palaszczuk’s leadership and said it was “up to caucus to decide” whether she remains as Premier.

Speaking at a rally outside Ms Palaszczuk’s office on Wednesday, Queensland Council of Unions general secretary Jacqueline King blasted the government’s failure to introduce laws to decriminalise sex work before Christmas anddeclined to say whether Ms Palaszczuk was the best person to lead Labor.

The government had pledged to introduce draft laws before the end of the year, but legislation has been delayed with “no satisfactory reason given”.

“We will be expecting that whoever is premier next year, whether that’s Annastacia Palaszczuk or somebody else, that this issue will be the number one issue that is in the parliament in 2024,” Ms King said.

Asked if Ms Palaszczuk was the best person to lead Labor to the 2024 election, Ms King said: “Well, that’s up to the caucus to decide, they need to make a decision on that”.

“We just want to see a united leadership,” she said.

“One that is actually speaking and listening to Queenslanders including the union movement, including sex workers, including everyone out there in the community.

“We know there are problems, but we need to get out there and we need to actually get things done.”

Jacqueline King speaks as union members protested in the Brisbane CBD against the government failing to introduce laws to decriminalise sex work before the end of the sitting year as promised.

Labor Party rules in Queensland makes it difficult to roll Ms Palaszczuk, with at least 50 per cent of her MPs needed to support a petition to the ALP state secretary Kate Flanders for a ballot.

Then, there are three separate votes to determine who should be leader: of the state parliamentary party, of eligible grassroots branch members, and of affiliated unions.

Ms King would not be drawn on whether the union movement would back Ms Palaszczuk in a vote.

“There is disquiet in the union movement, you guys are reporting on that, but in terms of the leadership issues, there are processes for that to happen and we’ll reserve our right to have a say,” she said.

“I’m not going to go out here publicly and advocate for who should be Premier or who should not be.”

Peter Ong, head of the Electrical Trades Union, said any change in leader would be “death” for Labor’s chances at next year’s state election.

“I think (Ms Palaszczuk) has done a good job, she has a good track record,” he said.

“We all know December is killing month, everyone starts throwing speculation out there about a leadership topple, I just think it is unhelpful.”

After national cabinet in Canberra on Wednesday, Ms Palaszczuk was asked if she was concerned that Ms King had stopped short of backing her.

“No, not at all,” she said.

“I’ve always said that we are the underdogs.”

Ms Palaszczuk’s fragile hold on government is under mounting threat, amid escalating leadership speculation and new polling data revealing her personal popularity has fallen again.

Resolve Strategic results, published by the Brisbane Times, shows Liberal National Party leader David Crisafulli extended his lead as preferred premier, 39 per cent to Ms Palaszczuk’s 34 per cent, with 28 per cent uncommitted.

Just one year ago, the third-term premier had a 12 point lead on Mr Crisafulli as the state’s preferred leader, 42 per cent to 30 per cent.