Powerbroker Robert Schwarten accused of ‘abusive’ late-night texts to heap pressure on Annastacia Palaszczuk to quit

The former Queensland premier complained to Labor figures of being tormented with late-night text messages from Robert Schwarten last year as she was refusing to bow to mounting calls to stand aside.

Robert Schwarten with Premier Steven Miles; his predecessor Annastacia Palaszczuk, right.

Annastacia Palaszczuk complained to Labor figures of being sent late-night text messages she claimed were “abusive” from an ALP powerbroker last year as he played an instrumental role in pushing the then Queensland premier to quit politics.

Former Beattie government minister Robert Schwarten, a 23-year veteran of the Queensland parliament known for his abrasive manner and colourful language, is alleged to have tormented Ms Palas­zczuk with the texts as she was refusing to bow to mounting calls within Labor ranks for her to stand aside in the face of spiralling support in the polls.

While Mr Schwarten has denied the allegations, multiple sources have told The Australian Ms Palaszczuk was in despair about the stream of texts, sent late into the night to her private mobile phone ahead of her surprise announcement on December 10 she was resigning from politics.

A senior ALP source said Ms Palaszczuk last year told party ­officials of the texts, describing them as “abusive”. “It was pretty full-on,’’ the source said. “She refused to engage with him.’’

Another ALP source said an emotional Ms Palaszczuk had talked about the texts at a social event late last year. “She was clearly upset and I asked her what was going on and she told me she had been receiving these texts,’’ they said. “She said she was sick and tired of getting abusive texts from Schwarten, and that he never ‘lets up on me’.’’

Ms Palaszczuk declined to comment when contacted by The Australian. The former premier, who led Labor to three state election wins, has privately claimed that after she quit, she had formally complained to the state ALP about her treatment by Mr Schwarten, who retired from ­politics ahead of the 2012 election.

Palaszczuk announcing her retirement from politics last year. Picture: Liam Kidston

ALP state secretary Kate Flanders confirmed Ms Palaszczuk last year discussed Mr Schwarten’s texts with her and she had told the then-Queensland premier of her rights to make a formal complaint.

“Annastacia Palaszczuk raised concerns about the conduct of Mr Schwarten last year,’’ Ms Flanders told The Australian. “I explained the complaints policy within the party and how it is handled.”

She said the complaints process is a confidential and she could not comment any further.

Mr Schwarten played a pivotal role in the behind-the-scenes push against Ms Palaszczuk before going public in December with a warning that a leadership change was needed if Labor was to avoid defeat at the next state election on October 26, this year.

Around the same time, Mr Schwarten and factional ally Kate Jones – a former Palaszczuk government minister who quit in 2020 – were spotted having drinks with Gary Bullock, the Labor kingmaker and state secretary of the United Workers Union.

Since Ms Palaszczuk became premier in 2015, Mr Bullock had safeguarded majority support for her in the caucus as head of the dominant Left faction.

Within a week of the drinks, Ms Palaszczuk had resigned.

Kate Jones and Schwarten.

After her resignation, Mr Schwarten’s Old Guard faction, in which he remains active, delivered critical numbers in the caucus to Steven Miles that led to his elevation as Queensland Premier in an uncontested vote.

It’s not known whether Ms Palaszczuk, who served in the Bligh cabinet with Mr Schwarten, went ahead with the formal complaint against him after she left parliament.

The sources, all of whom declined to be named, described Ms Palaszczuk’s increasing distress about Mr Schwarten’s alleged behaviour.

She privately described the texts as “abusive” and believed they were meant to pressure her into resigning the leadership.

One source said in a text, Mr Schwarten allegedly taunted Ms Palaszczuk about rumours she wanted to remain leader so she could beat Peter Beattie’s record nine-year run as a Queensland Labor premier.

When contacted by The Australian, Mr Schwarten said he rejected the notion he had sent “abusive” texts to Ms Palaszczuk and she “has not raised it with me”.

“I’ve known Annastacia since she was in her teens, (I’ve) never found her backward in coming forward,” he said in a text message.

“She has never raised these issues with me. I’m certain if she had an issue with me, she would’ve not hesitated to take me to task and such is my respect for her, I would have accepted whatever it was she had to say.”

The Australian has not seen the texts.

In August, The Weekend Australian revealed that Ms Palaszczuk had lost the confidence of key sections of the party after leading it to three successive election wins.

Successive polls had indicated her personal popularity had nose-dived among voters, and that the Liberal National Party was on track to win the state election, but party rules made it difficult to roll her as leader, requiring at least 50 per cent of MPs to petition the state secretary for a ballot that would then lead to three separate votes of the caucus, ALP membership and affiliated unions to determine the leadership.

At the time, Ms Palaszczuk repeatedly dismissed reports of internal discontent and vowed to contest the next election.

On December 1, Mr Schwarten’s wrote a column in The Courier-Mail in which he used a car analogy to publicly push for leadership change.

“Whether it is industry or politics, a shiny new trusted-brand latest-model will always impress and grab market share,’’ he wrote. “If the polls mean anything then unless the state Labor government gets a new model out soon, it is bound to follow both Falcon and Commodore.”

Ms Palaszczuk quit on December 10.