Union bosses may decide Palaszczuk’s fate as polls turn against her leadership

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Glenn Campbell

After almost nine years as Queensland Premier, the one thing that Annastacia Palaszczuk can rightly lay claim is to having a knack for winning elections.

Leading a decimated opposition, she ousted first-term premier Campbell Newman and his record majority of MPs to take minority government in 2015 and then backed up with wins in 2017 and 2020.

Initially, it had more to do with Palaszczuk being a foil to Newman’s pugnacious style, before voters gave her fairly average government a second chance and then wholeheartedly endorsed the absolutism of locking down the borders during Covid.

It was the winning way that ensured her grip on power and support among Labor MPs – until now.

For the first time, Palaszczuk’s leadership is being questioned among ALP ranks after three successive published polls shows the government is headed for defeat at next year’s October election. Central to the government’s woes is the Premier’s plummeting personal popularity.

A reshuffle of ministers overseeing the hot-button issues of health, housing and youth crime and a showering of rebates to ease cost of living pressures – wiping energy bills, for instance, for some pensioners – has done nothing to turn Labor’s fortunes around.

And in one of the recent polls, conducted for the Australian Financial Review last month, Opposition Leader David Crisafulli is now ahead of Palaszczuk as preferred premier, 45 per cent to 44 per cent, even though 39 per cent of voters had never heard of him.

Palaszczuk, who jetted off to Europe for a holiday at the weekend, is adamant she will lead Labor to the next election.

Queensland Opposition Leader David Crisafulli. Picture: Steve Pohlner

Some suggest she is motivated to stay until next May, when she will surpass Peter Beattie’s record time in power.

But on the eve of her departure, senior Labor figures from across the party told The Weekend Australian it was time for her to go.

There is massive risk in even airing the idea and many fear that unless the Premier leaves willingly, and soon, any move on her will fail, with ensuing public division only serving to help the Liberal National Party into office.

Labor rules in Queensland to challenge a sitting premier make it hard, with 50 per cent of the caucus needing to support a spill.

Three separate ballots are then conducted of the caucus, eligible branch members and affiliated unions to pick who will be the next parliamentary leader and premier.

Tellingly, most who have privately spoken of the need for leadership change say it could all come down to the whim of union leaders such as Gary Bullock, from the United Workers Union.

Bullock, who is also president of the Left faction that dominates the Labor caucus and membership in Queensland, holds disproportionate influence over Palaszczuk and the government.

He is close to Deputy Premier Steven Miles but it is understood he still supports the Premier.