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The 2023 Queensland Labor Party leadership election was held on 15 December 2023 to elect a new leader of the Queensland Labor Party and a Premier of Queensland, following the resignation of Annastacia Palaszczuk as both Premier and MP for Inala. [1] Steven Miles was appointed leader unopposed, while Cameron Dick was appointed Deputy Leader unopposed. [2]
Annastacia Palaszczuk was first elected as leader of the Queensland Labor Party following the party's landslide defeat at the 2012 state election where the party was reduced to seven seats. She had served as a minister in the Bligh cabinet in the Disability Services, Multicutural Affairs and Transport portfolios. Palaszczuk led Labor back to an unexpected victory at the 2015 state election defeating the then one-term Liberal National government. During her time as Premier, Palaszczuk oversaw a range of policy initiatives and reforms. Notable among these are electoral reforms and increase in public service employees. She subsequently led the party to two additional terms following the 2017 and 2020 state election's and continued on with policies such as banning single-use plastics, the successful bid for the 2032 Summer Olympics and commencement of the Cross River Rail project. Palaszczuk also oversaw the handling of natural disasters, such as the 2022 eastern Australia floods and the COVID-19 pandemic in Queensland. [3] [4]
Beginning in late August 2023, [5] [6] there was speculation as to how long Annastacia Palaszczuk would remain as Labor Leader and Premier. One reason for the speculation was the opinion polling for the next state election (2024), which displayed Opposition Leader David Crisafulli, of the Liberal National Party (LNP), as the preferred Premier of the state in consistent polls. Deputy Leader (and Deputy Premier) Steven Miles said at the time that there was "no prospect" of the Premier standing aside voluntarily and her ministers wanted her to stay. [7] Shannon Fentiman, Labor MP for Waterford and Minister for Health and Ambulance Services, also denied the rumours, [8] including the speculation that she was approached to replace Annastacia Palaszczuk as leader of the party in the lead up to Palaszczuk's formal resignation in December 2023. [9]
Party Rules authorise the formal method in which the party leader is appointed. Section K of the party's Rules state that: "A ballot for Leader of the State Parliamentary Labor Party (SPLP) will be called if any of the following conditions are met: [10]
The next section follows, "The [party's] Administrative Committee will then call for nominations for SPLP Leader and approve a timetable for elections on the advice of the General Returning Officer." If more than one eligible candidate is nominated than a vote will be declared and a leader will be elected via a combined democratic vote, which will consist of SPLP members (state MPs, or simply Caucus), branch members, and Unions affiliated to the Party allocated votes in the same proportions as their respective delegations at the previous state conference. [11]
If a leadership election is declared it will be the first time the party's new leadership reforms will be put into use, which were enthusiastically supported by members when they were changed in 2013. [12] [13] [14]
Only hours after Leader Annastacia Palaszczuk announced her resignation, Deputy Leader Steven Miles, [15] of the party's Left faction, announced his bid to run for the leadership of the party and received the endorsement of Annastacia Palaszczuk, saying: "I believe he will make an excellent premier." [16] Shannon Fentiman, also of the Left faction has been put forward as a potential candidate, [17] and Treasurer Cameron Dick, whom is aligned with the party's Right faction, is named as a possible candidate. [17] On Monday, 11 December 2023, Fentiman was formally nominated as a candidate for the leadership. [14] [18] The following day however (12 December 2023), Fentiman officially withdrew from the leadership contest, with factional and union alignment believed to be in Miles' favour. [19] [20] Cameron Dick was revealed to be the expected Deputy Leader if Miles was to become Leader, and gave Miles his endorsement. [20]
| Candidate | Electorate | Faction | Union affiliation | Portfolio(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steven Miles | Murrumba | Labor Left [21] [22] | United Workers Union [22] |
| |
| Candidate | Electorate | Faction | Union affiliation | Portfolio(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shannon Fentiman | Waterford | Labor Left [21] [22] | Australian Manufacturing Workers Union [22] |
| |
| Candidate | Electorate | Faction | Union affiliation | Portfolio(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cameron Dick | Woodridge | Labor Right [21] [22] | Australian Workers' Union [22] |
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Annastacia Palaszczuk is an Australian politician who served as the 39th premier of Queensland from 2015 to 2023. She held office as the leader of the Queensland branch of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) from 2012 until her resignation, and has been a member of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland (MLA) for the division of Inala since 2006. Palaszczuk is the fifth-most tenured premier in Queensland state history and the first woman to win the premiership from opposition, she also presided over the first majority female cabinet in Australian state and federal history.
Yvette Maree D'Ath is an Australian politician. She is a Labor member of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland representing the seat of Redcliffe. D'Ath has served as the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice and Minister for the Prevention of Domestic and Family Violence and Leader of the House. She was previously a Labor member of the Australian House of Representatives representing the outer Brisbane seat of Petrie from 2007 to 2013.
Heinrich Palaszczuk is a former Labor member of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland, and minister of the Beattie Government of Queensland. He was elected as the member for Archerfield in 1984, and held that seat until his election as the member for Inala in 1992. Palaszczuk retired from politics in 2006, and was succeeded in his seat of Inala by his daughter Annastacia Palaszczuk, who was the Premier of Queensland from 2015 until her resignation in December 2023.
Cameron Robert Dick is an Australian politician and member of the Labor Party currently serving as the 36th Deputy Premier and 51st Treasurer of the state of Queensland and Minister for Trade and Investment. He previously served as Minister for State Development, Manufacturing, Infrastructure and Planning and was Minister for Health and Minister for Ambulance Services in the Palaszczuk Ministry. He also served as Attorney-General, Minister for Education and Minister for Industrial Relations in the Bligh government. He is currently a member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly representing the seat of Woodridge.
The 2015 Queensland state election was held on 31 January 2015 to elect all 89 members of the unicameral Legislative Assembly of Queensland.
The Cabinet of Queensland is the chief policy-making group of people within the Government of Queensland in Australia.
Jacklyn Anne Trad is an Australian former politician. She was Deputy Premier of Queensland from 2015 to 2020, Treasurer of Queensland from 2017 to 2020 and represented the Electoral district of South Brisbane for the Labor Party from April 2012 to October 2020.
The 2017 Queensland state election was held on 25 November 2017 to elect all 93 members of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland, the unicameral Parliament of Queensland.
Steven John Miles is an Australian politician who is the 40th and current premier of Queensland, in office since 2023. He is the state leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and previously served as deputy premier from 2020 to 2023.
Shannon Maree Fentiman is an Australian politician. She has been the Labor member for Waterford in the Queensland Legislative Assembly since 2015 and has served as the Minister for Health and Ambulance Services since 2023.
The First Palaszczuk Ministry was a ministry of the Government of Queensland led by Annastacia Palaszczuk. Palaszczuk led the Labor Party to victory in the 2015 state election, forming a minority government with the support of independent MP Peter Wellington. Her interim ministry was sworn in on 14 February 2015 by Governor Paul de Jersey. The full Palaszczuk Ministry was sworn in two days later. Several changes were made to the ministry on 8 December 2015, with 3 cabinet positions and one assistant ministry added.
The 2020 Queensland state election was held on 31 October to elect all 93 members to the 57th Legislative Assembly of Queensland. The Labor Party was returned to government for a third-term, led by incumbent premier Annastacia Palaszczuk. With 47 seats needed to form a majority government, Labor won 52 seats, including all but five in Brisbane, while the Liberal National Party won 34 seats and formed opposition. On the crossbench, Katter's Australian Party retained its 3 seats, the Queensland Greens picked up South Brisbane for a total of 2, Pauline Hanson's One Nation retained Mirani and independent Sandy Bolton retained her seat of Noosa.
The Second Palaszczuk Ministry is a ministry of the Government of Queensland led by Annastacia Palaszczuk. Palaszczuk led the Labor Party to a majority victory in the 2017 state election.
The Queensland Labor Party, officially known as the Australian Labor Party (State of Queensland) and commonly referred to simply as Queensland Labor, is the state branch of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) in the state of Queensland. It has functioned in the state since the 1880s. The Queensland branch of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) was the first Labour Party to win government in the world, when, in December 1899, following the resignation of the Dickson ministry, Labour Leader Anderson Dawson accepted to form a ministry by Lieutenant-Governor Samuel Griffith.
The 2024 Queensland state election is scheduled to be held on 26 October 2024 to elect all members to the Legislative Assembly of Queensland pursuant to the Constitution Amendment Act 2015. As a result of the 2016 Queensland term length referendum, the term of the parliament will run for four years.
The Third Palaszczuk Ministry was a ministry of the Government of Queensland led by Annastacia Palaszczuk. Palaszczuk led the Labor Party to a majority victory in the 2020 state election and a third term in government since 2015. The cabinet's first meeting was held on 16 November 2020 in the Sunshine Coast suburb of Caloundra.
The 57th Parliament of Queensland is the current meeting of the unicameral chamber of the Queensland Parliament known as the Legislative Assembly. The 2020 state election gave the Labor Party a majority (control) in parliament, winning fifty-two of ninety-three seats (55.91%). The First day of the opening of the 57th Parliament of Queensland was 24 November 2020.
In the lead-up to the 2024 Queensland state election, a number of polling companies will conduct regular opinion polls for various news organisations. These polls will collect data on parties' primary vote, and will contain an estimation of the two-party-preferred vote. They will also ask questions about the electorates' views on major party leaders.
A by-election for the electoral district of Inala in the Legislative Assembly of Queensland was held on 16 March 2024 following the resignation of former Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk from parliament, which was announced on 10 December 2023 and took effect on 31 December 2023. The by-election was held on the same day as the Ipswich West by-election and the statewide local government elections.
