Re-elected with a glowing endorsement of her government's handling of the COVID crisis, how has Annastacia Palaszczuk fared in the 12 months since? Today marks a year since her government clinched its third term, meaning it is a quarter of the way into Queensland's first four-year parliamentary term. The fixed, longer term is supposed to afford politicians and the public certainty and breathing room before heading back to the polls. But there is little breathing space available when you are still in the midst of a pandemic.
The state has recorded seven deaths across the entire pandemic. In the past year, the government's continued to be dogged by headlines about separated families and Queenslanders locked out of their home state. And the Premier had to issue an apology after an NRL entourage was allowed into the state to quarantine in its own bubble.
With border restrictions to interstate hotspots set to be lifted before Christmas, the government is trying to boost lagging vaccination rates, particularly in Indigenous communities, and prepare Queenslanders for a potential "tsunami" of COVID cases. And, from tomorrow, it will all be without a permanent chief health officer at the wheel. Deputy Premier Steven Miles said there had been a "few pretty big tests" in the past 18 months, but the next few weeks would pose a "huge" challenge.
He said the pandemic had changed how members of the public saw the government and how it interacted and engaged with them. While Palaszczuk has a strong majority, and her cabinet appears more stable than ever, Opposition Leader David Crisafulli says there are "signs of hubris starting to creep in" to the third-term government. The last election made Palaszczuk the first female premier to win three elections in Australia. While there are three years still to go, would she run again as leader in the election?
Beyond the handling of the COVID response, what else has the government done with its first year of a third term? A re-elected government is resworn, with adjustments to the Cabinet as determined by the premier. Profiles have been developed for Premiers of Queensland , for reasons of privacy other than those still living. Categories: Queensland, Premiers from Queensland. Profile Images. Images: 1 Queensland Flag. Collaboration Login to edit this profile and add images.
She was elected unopposed at a time when many pundits expected Labor to languish in the political wilderness for multiple terms, such was the magnitude of the LNP win. In , the electoral pendulum swung dramatically back the other way and Queenslanders handed Mr Newman a crushing defeat after a controversial single term in office. Ms Palaszczuk formed a minority government, with the support of Independent MP Peter Wellington, and became the first woman in Australian history to become a state Premier from opposition.
In , Ms Palaszczuk won another term in office, and this time Labor gained a majority to govern in its own right. With a total of 48 seats, Labor secured a slender two seat majority in the Queensland parliament. The introduction of fixed parliamentary terms meant the usual election date guessing games were over, and everyone knew the timing of the next Queensland poll — October 31, The Government gave final environmental approvals for the controversial Adani coal mine in central Queensland and decriminalised abortion.
There were highly publicised child safety scandals. But possibly the biggest and most damaging distraction was integrity questions over one of Labor's most powerful figures — Jackie Trad. No findings were made against her, but Ms Trad eventually resigned as Deputy Premier.
On January 21, a Brisbane man who had returned from Wuhan in China tested positive for coronavirus. But as Queensland's economy waned and job losses grew, frustrations emerged over border closures, quarantine measures and people who could not attend funerals while footballers continued to play. By yesterday, the total number of Queensland deaths from coronavirus remained at six. The worst predictions were not realised and the Premier based much of her re-election bid around that success.
0コメント