The lady’s not for turning: Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk’s pre-poll vow

Annastacia Palaszczuk insists she’s the only person who can steer Labor to victory for a fourth time and vows to stay on until late 2028 if Labor wins.

‘We’re focused on the people of this state,’ says Queensland Labor Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk. Picture: Dan Peled / NCA NewWire

Annastacia Palaszczuk insists she is the only person who can steer Labor to victory for a fourth time and has vowed to stay on as leader until late 2028 if Labor retains power at next year’s state election.

Marking one year until Queenslanders head to the polls, the long-serving Premier is standing on her nine-year record and promising stability while committing to serving a full four-year term on the opposition benches if Labor loses.

Successive public polling suggests her third-term Labor government is on track to suffer a bruising defeat at next year’s election and Ms Palaszczuk’s personal popularity has nosedived.

Labor MPs, ministers and union figures have privately said she needs to be convinced to go before Christmas to give her successor time to prepare to defend seats against an energised Liberal National Party.

ALP rules in Queensland make it difficult and politically messy to mount an internal leadership challenge so Labor MPs and the union movement are reluctant to make a move without consensus on a replacement.

Ms Palaszczuk’s future could be dependent on the outcome of polls in the next few weeks, including internal research expected to be commissioned by the ALP within the month.

The last Australian premier standing from the Covid-19 pandemic, Ms Palaszczuk told The Australian she would not step aside and had not anointed a ­successor for when she does ­decide to retire.

“The people of Queensland elected me and I’m determined to see it through,” she said.

“I’m not going to be pinpointing anyone. What I have done, I believe, is nurtured a talent pool of future leaders.”

Labor’s Left faction is dominant in Queensland Labor, meaning Deputy Premier Steven Miles or Health Minister Shannon ­ Fentiman would be frontrunners in any leadership ballot.

Considered little more than a seat warmer when she took over the Labor leadership in 2012, Ms Palaszczuk’s personal popularity has become one of Labor’s strongest assets underpinning election wins in 2015, 2017 and 2020.

At each of those elections, she has increased Labor’s seat count and has become Australia’s longest serving current premier.

But since Covid restrictions eased and cost-of-living pressures began to bite, a perception she is out of touch with ordinary voters and is leading a tired government appears to have hit her personal brand.

“I think what we, what I need to do, is to get out more, and I acknowledge that and I’m absolutely determined to do that,” she told The Australian.

“Look, being in government is tough. There’s a lot of competing interests and I work hard every day, and I’m not a superhuman.”

The LNP, led by David Crisafulli, must win an extra 13 seats to topple Ms Palaszczuk's government and form a majority.

However, his side of politics has lost 11 of the past 12 state ­elections in Queensland.

Faced with a series of bad polls, Ms Palaszczuk says Labor is ­“definitely the underdog when it comes to the next election”.

“I’m under no illusions about that,” she said.

“We’ve been in battles before, we’ve been in worse situations before and we’ve come through it because we’re a united team, and we’re focused on the people of this state.”

First elected in 2006, replacing her father, Henry Palaszczuk, in the electorate of Inala, Ms Palas­zczuk holds the safest seat in the parliament on a 28.2 per cent ­margin.

Union boss and Left faction convener Gary Bullock has also so far privately maintained his critical support for Ms Palaszczuk, despite rumblings in other sections of the union movement.

Ms Palaszczuk said she had had “extensive consultation and extensive conversations” with Labor figures after leadership speculation erupted during her two-week Italian holiday in early September.

Asked if she had spoken with Mr Bullock about her future since her return, Ms Palaszczuk said: “I don’t need to speak to individuals … I haven’t spoken to him about it.

“I speak to a lot of people across the party.

“I speak to people from the union movement. I speak to my caucus colleagues all the time. I regularly meet with my ministers.

“You know who matters here – it’s the people of Queensland and I’m out there talking to them.”

Ms Palaszczuk’s government will have a huge war chest heading into the election.

Updated budget figures have revealed that the surplus for last financial year was $1.63bn higher than had been forecast in the June budget.

High coal prices and the introduction of a royalty scheme delivered a record $13.93bn surplus last year.

Labor has already used extra revenue to bankroll $550 energy ­rebates for every Queensland household, totally wipe power bills for some pensioners, and make kindergarten free for all families from next year.

Both Ms Palaszczuk and Mr Crisafulli have framed next year’s election around the rising cost of living.