Premier’s adviser is frontrunner for Inala candidate spot

Labor’s strict gender quota rules would have to be overridden for one of Annastacia Palaszczuk’s closest advisers to be endorsed to succeed her in the safest Queensland Labor seat of Inala.

Annastacia Palaszczuk’s deputy chief of staff Jon Persley is considered the front-runner to replace her in the safe seat of Inala, but affirmative action rules would have to be over-ridden.

Labor’s strict gender quota rules would have to be overridden for one of Annastacia Palaszczuk’s closest advisers to be endorsed to succeed her in the safest Queensland Labor seat of Inala.

Ms Palaszczuk’s exit will trigger the first Queensland state seat by-election in more than two years, since the death of MP Duncan Pegg forced a vote in his southern Brisbane seat of Stretton in 2021.

Ms Palaszczuk’s deputy chief of staff and Right faction ally, Jon Persley, is widely expected to be the frontrunner for the seat, and has the backing of the Premier and his local branch.

A former assistant state secretary of the Queensland ALP, Mr Persley has been intimately involved in Labor campaigning for years.

But senior Labor sources confirmed the affirmative action rules would have to be overridden, or another male MP would have to quit and be replaced by a female candidate, for Mr Persley to be endorsed.

The Labor Party rules state that for casual vacancies, including by-elections and Senate appointments, “if the minimum percentage of women is not met in the relevant level of government, the vacancy must be filled by a woman”.

Mr Persley declined to comment on Monday.

Ms Palaszczuk has not yet formally resigned and it’s not clear when the by-election will be held. There has been a suggestion it could be delayed to coincide with the local government elections in March.