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PALASZCZUK RESIGNS

December 10, 2023

The Queensland Labor Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has announced her retirement after 9 years as premier.

Listen to the 1pm 4BC news Brisbane (3m):

Watch Palaszczuk’s resignation press conference (9m):

First elected in 2015, the Palaszczuk government was re-elected in 2017 and 2020. Having been reduced to just 7 seats out of 89 in the 2012 election, Palaszczuk took the ALP back into government after only one term in opposition, increasing the ALP’s seat tally in each election thereafter: 44 seats in 2015, 48 in 2017 and 52 in 2020.

At her press conference today, Palaszczuk, the state’s 39th Premier, endorsed her deputy, Steven Miles, as her replacement. The ALP caucus will meet on Friday to elect the new leader. Assuming her successor will be sworn in on Friday, Palaszczuk will have served as Premier for 8 years, 10 months and 1 day.

Miles is 46 years old. He was born on November 15, 1977. He entered the Queensland parliament as the Member for Mount Coot-tha in 2015, becoming MLA for Murrumba in 2017. He has been Deputy Premier since May 11, 2020, following the resignation of Jackie Trad. He is also Minister for State Development, Infrastructure, Local Government and Planning. He was previously Minister for Health and Ambulance Services (2017-20) and Minister for National Parks, The Great Barrier Reef and Environment and Heritage Protection (2015-2017).

Other candidates for the leadership could emerge now that Palaszczuk has announced her departure. Michael (Mick) de Brenni, the Minister for Energy, Renewables and Hydrogen, and Minister for Public Works, could possibly be a contender. Treasurer Cameron Dick has also been mentioned in media reports today.

ELECTION

One of Palaszczuk’s achievements was the introduction of fixed four-year terms for the Queensland Parliament. A referendum in 2016 changed the Queensland constitution to entrench the measure.

The next election is scheduled to take place next year – on Saturday, October 26, 2024.

EIGHT NEW LEADERS IN TWO YEARS

It has been a whirlwind of change at the top of Australian, State and Territory governments. Since March 2022, a new prime minister, six new premiers and one new chief minister will have taken office. Only three of these were as the result of elections, the other five arising out of mid-term retirements.

The longest-serving leader of the 9 jurisdictions in Australia is now Andrew Barr, the Chief Minister of the ACT, who will celebrate 9 years in the position tomorrow.

Four new leaders assumed office last year: Peter Malinauskas, Premier of South Australia since Mar 21, 2022; Jeremy Rockliff, Premier of Tasmania since April 8, 2022; Natasha Fyles, Chief Minister of the Northern Territory since May 13, 2022; and Anthony Albanese, Prime Minister since May 23, 2022. Malinauskas and Albanese both won elections from opposition.

A clean sweep of the mainland east coast states has taken place this year, joined by the west: Chris Minns, Premier of NSW since March 28, 2023; Roger Cook, Premier of Western Australia since June 8, 2023; Jacinta Allan, Premier of Victoria since September 27, 2023; Minns won election from opposition.

Eight of the nine jurisdictions have ALP governments. Jeremy Rockliff remains the only Liberal leader anywhere in Australia.

No Movement on Interest Rates in Reserve Bank Decision

December 5, 2023

As expected, there is no movement on interest rates in today’s Reserve Bank of Australia statement on monetary policy.

The Reserve Bank left the cash rate unchanged at 4.35%.

The Reserve increased the cash rate by 0.25% at its November meeting. Since then a 4.9% inflation rate has been recorded, easing the pressure on the bank for one more rate increase.

In its statement today, the Reserve Bank said:

The limited information received on the domestic economy since the November meeting has been broadly in line with expectations. The monthly CPI indicator for October suggested that inflation is continuing to moderate, driven by the goods sector; the inflation update did not, however, provide much more information on services inflation. Overall, measures of inflation expectations remain consistent with the inflation target. Wages growth picked up in the September quarter but this was expected given that it captured the earlier Fair Work Commission decision on award wages. Wages growth is not expected to increase much further and remains consistent with the inflation target, provided productivity growth picks up. Conditions in the labour market also continued to ease gradually, although they remain tight.”

Watch Treasurer Jim Chalmers respond to the RBA’s decision (23m):

Peta Murphy, ALP Member for Dunkley, Dies, 50

December 4, 2023

The death of Peta Murphy, the ALP member Dunkley, was announced by a tearful Prime Minister Anthony Albanese this afternoon.

The government’s Senate leader, Penny Wong, also announced the death to the Senate when it sat at 2.00pm.

Murphy first battled breast cancer in 2011. A recurrence was diagnosed two weeks after her election to parliament in 2019. In her first speech to the House, she described the disease as “sneaky” and said, “cancer sucks”.

Murphy first contested the Frankston-based electorate of Dunkley, in Victoria, in 2016. Narrowly defeated by the Liberal Party’s Chris Crewther, she won the seat in a rematch in 2019. She was re-elected in 2022, securing a 3.53% swing and holding the seat by 6.27%.

Formerly a solicitor advocate (2002-07) and barrister (2008-16), she was the Senior Public Defender at Victorian Legal Aid (2012-14) and Team Leader at the Victorian Law Reform Commission (2015). She was an adviser to former Attorney-General and future Federal Court judge Duncan Kerr (1999-2001). In opposition, she was Chief of Staff to the current Minister for Skills and Training, Brendan O’Connor (2017-19).

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announces the death of Peta Murphy MP (8m):

Senator Penny Wong announces Peta Murphy’s death to the Senate (2m):

State Funeral for Gerry Hand

November 29, 2023

A state funeral was held today for Gerry Hand, a former minister in the Hawke and Keating governments.

The former ALP member Melbourne (1983-93), Hand died on November 15, 2023, aged 81.

Senator Patrick Dodson (ALP-WA) – Valedictory Speech

November 29, 2023

In delivering his valedictory address, Senator Patrick Dodson announced to the Senate that he would resign on January 26, 2024.

Dodson, a Labor senator from Western Australia, entered the Senate on May 2, 2016, filling the casual vacancy caused by the resignation of Joe Bullock. He was elected in his own right at the 2016 and 2022 federal elections.

Known as the “Father of Reconciliation”, a cause he has championed all his life, Dodson was appointed as the Special Envoy for Reconciliation and Implementation of the Uluru Statement from the Heart on June 1, 2022, following the election of the Albanese government.

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