Palaszczuk ‘not troubled’ by damning report amid cabinet transparency moves

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says she is “not troubled” by a damning report into her government’s culture and has moved swiftly to start work on its calls for nation-leading cabinet transparency overhauls, vowing to face voters at least once more in 2024.

But the third-term leader is facing increased pressure from the Liberal National Party’s state Opposition and federal leadership, which claim she has failed to take responsibility for the report’s findings and not pushed far enough in her response.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk fronts media on Thursday, two days after the release of a scathing report into government culture.Credit: Matt Dennien

Palaszczuk’s cabinet will discuss the recommendations of Peter Coaldrake’s report on Monday, after the Goss-era public sector reform chief found an internal culture beset by bullying and short-term vision, and a government over-reliant on consultants that also trivialised parliamentary committees.

Dental surgery had left her unable to address the report a day prior, the Premier told reporters, but she had already “hit the ground running” on Coaldrake’s calls to publish cabinet submissions, agendas and decisions online within 30 business days.

She described the review as a “health check” and said her government accepted all its findings and recommendations.

“I embrace it, it doesn’t trouble me,” Palaszczuk said, adding training would be the key to reversing the cultural issues outlined in the report.

“I think we all need to take responsibility and we will get this fixed.”

Speaking later on Thursday, Opposition leader David Crisafulli claimed the health check description was inadequate for a review commissioned in February after weeks of reporting on alleged political interference with the public sector and integrity bodies.

“This is a crisis in governance,” he said.

“If the best excuse — or the reason that the Premier can point to that she should be given another term [in 2024] — is that mistakes happen in the past, or other governments in other states do things poorly, well, that isn’t a vision — that’s a Premier that’s checked out.”

Coaldrake’s own report, along with other governance and ethics experts, pointed to similar issues — particularly around the hollowing out of the public sector — being found in other jurisdictions.

Crisafulli had already made it clear on Wednesday that his party was not backing away from calls for a royal-commission-style inquiry into the government, without elaborating on what its focus may be, and said if Palaszczuk was unable to lead the reforms she should no longer lead the state.

Queensland-based federal National Party leader David Littleproud told 4BC on Thursday that residents should “give someone else a go”.

The proposed cabinet changes have been welcomed by many, including independent South Australian Senator Rex Patrick. The move would be an Australian first and similar to an approach taken by New Zealand.

Palaszczuk said her director-general Rachel Hunter had already contacted representatives in the New Zealand government about how it managed the process, and Attorney-General Shannon Fentiman’s department head, David Mackie, had been identified to lead the work.

“I’ve worked in government for most of my adult life ... the confidentiality of cabinet has been for 30 years, and now it is going to be completely overhauled to 30 days. That is an incredibly brave thing and for a government to embrace it is revolutionary.”

A range of political and logistical hurdles face the third-term Labor government’s efforts to move on the new recommendations, the growing list of those already outstanding, and more to come.

Palaszczuk said the cabinet office set up within her department earlier this year would be the team driving the extensive workload, but an “implementation team” would also be put in place.

The Premier also addressed questions about her commitment to running the state, saying she loved the job and was “absolutely staying” on as leader until the next state election in 2024.

“And it’s up to the people of Queensland to vote whether or not they want me to continue,” Palaszczuk said.

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