Union leaders warn that Annastacia Palaszczuk needs to consider future

Queensland unions helped Annastacia Palaszczuk defy the critics and win office, now some union leaders have stepped up talks over alternatives to her.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk in Townsville. Picture: Blair Jackson

Queensland unions are planning to poll on leadership alternatives to Annastacia Palaszczuk, in an incendiary move that will put further pressure on the third-term premier’s determination to steer Labor to next year’s state election.

After Ms Palaszczuk reiterated that she had no intention of quitting in recent interviews to mark a year out from the October 26 election, union leaders have stepped up talks over successive published polls showing the Premier’s popularity spiralling and the government headed for defeat.

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

Ms Palaszczuk is in China on a trade mission this week and has vowed to stay on as leader until late 2028 if Labor defies statewide polls and retains power.

Sources said secret seat ­polling commissioned by the public sector Together Union suggested Labor was headed for a ­wipe-out of its three Townsville seats (Townsville, Thuringowa and Mundingburra) to the Liberal National Party and the loss of three inner-Brisbane seats to the Greens (Bulimba, Cooper and McConnel).

The union polling also shows swings against Labor in its outer-Brisbane seats of Aspley and Mansfield, as well as those in and around Cairns, are not enough to deliver them to Liberal National Party leader David Crisafulli.

One union leader said it appeared voters had turned against Ms Palaszczuk but that support for Mr Crisafulli and the LNP was “soft”, giving hope of a turnaround under a new Labor leader.

The union official said the Premier needed to “stand down in order to avoid a bloodbath” similar to Labor’s 2012 defeat under Anna Bligh, which left the party with just seven MPs in the then 89-seat parliament.

If Ms Palaszczuk refuses to budge, unions are threatening to cut campaign spending ahead of the state election in support of the Labor government.

“There are new caps on donations introduced under this government and so Labor isn’t flush with cash and they will need the unions to run some big third party campaigns,’’ the union leader said.

“We will be reviewing what our spend will be, looking for the best value for our union member’s money to back a leadership team we think can win the next election. We don’t believe she (Ms Palaszczuk) can win”.

The warnings will come as a blow for Ms Palaszczuk, who as an underrated opposition leader in 2015, was heavily backed by union funding and volunteers in a campaign that ousted Campbell Newman’s first-term government.

For months, Ms Palaszczuk has stared down internal unrest in the caucus and labour movement over published polls that, since June last year, show her personal popularity in free fall and the government headed for defeat.

Last month, a YouGov poll published in The Courier-Mail, showed Ms Palaszczuk’s net satisfaction rating was negative 20 – the equal worst result – and Mr Crisafulli leading as preferred premier 37-35 per cent.

Party rules make it difficult to roll Ms Palsaszczuk without an agreed successor. A majority of her party room would have to petition state secretary Kate Flanders for a spill, triggering a vote of state MPs, branch members and affiliated unions. It would take a minimum six weeks to hold the public ballot under rules brought in after then prime minister Kevin Rudd was rolled in his first term.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk in question time. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen

Labor MPs fear a contested ballot would be disastrous, with infighting on public display.

In recent months, support in the caucus and among some union leaders has swung behind Health Minister Shannon Fentiman to replace Ms Palaszczuk. But her Left factional colleague, Deputy Premier Steven Miles, also has support – including from union boss and Left convener Gary Bullock – with Treasurer Cameron Dick harbouring ambitions but falling short in support as a member of the smaller Right faction.

Mr Bullock, who has delivered the critical backing of the dominant Left faction to Ms Palaszczuk (a member of the Right faction) during her three terms, is understood to retain support for the Premier as Labor leader.

Several unions have revealed that they intend to commission polling and focus group research in the next few weeks.

A top union official said unions were in talks about polling specifically on Ms Palaszczuk and the leadership. “It’s very clear to the movement that the caucus lack the will to pull the trigger and on that basis the trigger has to come from somewhere,’’ the union leader said. “A collective of unions are looking at commissioning more polling, including on leadership alternatives.”