Palaszczuk makes belated apology to bullied public servants while vowing to run again

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk belatedly says sorry to bullied public servants and confirms she will run again at the next state election.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has issued a belated apology to public servants who have been bullied by ministerial staff in her government. Picture: NCA NewsWire/John Gass

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has issued a belated apology to public servants who have been bullied by ministerial staff in her government, and confirmed she will run again at the next election.

Professor Peter Coaldrake’s scathing review of culture in Ms Palaszczuk’s government revealed there was an “atmosphere of fear” in the public service and pressure from ministerial advisers that had led to “bullying and belittling”.

But Ms Palaszczuk sidestepped an opportunity to say sorry to bullied public servants when she first publicly responded to the report on Thursday, saying only that “everyone needs to be treated with respect” and the bullies would receive training.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and Attorney-General Shannon Fentiman front the media on Friday. Picture: NCA NewsWire/John Gass

On Friday she relented. “To any public servant who has been bullied, I do apologise for that, I do,” Ms Palaszczuk said.

“And let me also put on the public record, I probably wasn’t as clear yesterday as I should have been that the report is serious, of course we take it seriously, that’s why we’ve accepted every single one of those recommendations.”

Ms Palaszczuk had repeatedly said on Thursday she did not find the Coaldrake findings “troubling”, instead insisting it was good for government to have a “health check”.

Deputy leader of the opposition Jarrod Bleijie slammed Ms Palaszczuk’s initial response for failing to take responsibility for the “rotten culture under her leadership”.

The third-term premier also clarified comments she made about her political future, confirming she would run again at the next election in 2024.

“I have informed the caucus today that I intend to take this team to the next election … I love this job, I love the people of this state,” she said.

On Friday, new electoral donation caps came into effect in Queensland, restricting how much people can donate to candidates and parties in the state. Public funding for political parties would also be increased to fill the gap.

Ms Palaszczuk said the changes would “end the days of big money fundraising”. She said she had written to new Queensland Labor state secretary Kate Flanders advising that none of her ministers would participate in cash-for-access fundraisers run by the party under the banner of the Queensland Business Partnership Network.

“This will mean the end of the annual state conference ‘business observers; and all other events associated with the QBPN,” she said.

Cash-for-access fundraisers, which have been heavily criticised for years by corruption-busters such as Tony Fitzgerald, were reintroduced by Ms Palaszczuk following her election in 2015 after being banned by former Labor premier Anna Bligh.