Powerbroker’s pollster tests Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk

A union-linked pollster, which has a history of conducting political research for Queensland Labor powerbroker Gary Bullock, has been polling on Annastacia Palaszczuk’s leadership.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk is joined in Shanghai by Queensland beef producers and exhibitors as she visits to promote the state’s agriculture. Picture: NCA NewsWire

A union-linked pollster, which has a history of conducting political research for union leader and Queensland Labor powerbroker Gary Bullock, has been polling on Annastacia Palaszczuk’s leadership.

Polling company uComms on Wednesday night texted voters in seats across the state with a series of questions beginning with a request for “their thoughts on Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk”.

The polling was conducted within hours of The Australian revealing that Queensland unions were planning to poll on Ms Palaszczuk and leadership alternatives amid growing frustration in the labour movement about the performance of the Premier.

Several senior union officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, have called for Ms Palaszczuk to stand aside or face cuts in campaign funding after successive published polls show her popularity spiralling and the government facing defeat.

Ms Palaszczuk has vowed to lead Labor to the election on ­October 26 next year.

While the unions have yet to begin polling on alternative Labor leaders, it emerged that two separate polls – including one commissioned by the public sector Together Union – have been conducted by uComms this week.

One statewide poll asked voters for their thoughts on Ms Palaszczuk and then LNP leader David Crisafulli before posing the question “what the current Labor government could do better”.

Voters were also asked ­whether last month’s voice referendum made them more or less likely to vote for Labor.

Multiple sources said uComms has previously been the favoured pollster of the United Workers Union, headed by Mr Bullock, who has delivered the critical support of the dominant Left faction to Ms Palaszczuk, a member of the Right, over the three terms she has been Premier.

uComms did not respond to questions from The Australian about who commissioned the second poll. A United Workers Union spokesperson said it did not commission the poll and did not use uComms anymore.

Alex Scott, branch secretary of the Together Union – which represents 30,000 Queensland public sector workers – said he had organised polling by UComms this week to gauge the “political landscape”.

Mr Scott said his polling did not ask any questions about Ms Palaszczuk and the union was not commissioning research on “individual politicians, at this stage”. “We haven’t seen the results yet from around the state,’’ he said, adding that he still backed the premier to lead Labor to the ­election.

Several senior union officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, have expressed frustration at the failure of Labor MPs to agree on a “consensus candidate” to replace Ms Palaszczuk and force a leadership spill.

ALP rules in Queensland make it difficult to mount an internal leadership challenge without party consensus on who would replace Ms Palaszczuk.

The Australian understands significant unions are split between supporting Left faction leader and Deputy Premier Steven Miles and Health Minister Shannon Fentiman.

Ms Fentiman would not be drawn on the polling on Thursday, only to say she supported Ms Palaszczuk.

Mr Miles, who is acting in Ms Palaszczuk’s role while she leads a trade mission to China, insisted he would not make any move against Ms Palaszczuk’s leadership despite union threats to cut campaign spending if the third-term premier does not stand down before next October’s election.

“They know that their members, the workers of Queensland, are far better off because of the actions and leadership of Annastacia Palaszczuk,” he said.