Annastacia Palaszczuk to Resign as Premier

Annastacia Palaszczuk ,Premier of Queensland, speaks during the Australian Matildas community reception following their 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup campaign, at City Botanic Gardens in Brisbane, Australia, on Aug. 20, 2023. Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has announced that she will step down from her position and retire from politics at the end of the week.

This marks the end of the last remaining “pandemic-era” leader who oversaw their state or territory’s COVID-19 response, including border closures and lockdowns.

Ms. Palaszczuk said it had been the “greatest honour” of her life to serve as premier for the past eight years.

“Queensland is in good shape, which is why now it’s time for me to leave,” she told reporters on Sunday in her final press conference.

“I’ve given it my all, I’ve run a marathon.”

She likened winning each election to climbing Mount Everest and said she did not need to do it again.

“Now is the time for me to find out what else life has to offer,” she said.

The next premier will be decided by party caucus on Friday.

Ms. Palaszczuk said she will give her strong endorsement to Deputy Premier Steven Miles as the next leader of the Sunshine State.

She revealed she had been thinking about retirement since her last holiday, for which she received heavy criticism as well as calls to step down.

It was during the last national cabinet when Ms. Palaszczuk made her decision.

“I was sitting there thinking, this is the fourth prime minister, there are all these new faces around the cabinet table, I got a great deal for Queensland—$4 billion,” she said.

Seeing new colleagues in cabinet and the approach of the year’s end, Ms. Palaszczuk said she felt it was the right time to leave.

“I just feel now is the right time ... I run this marathon, I’ve had discussions with [former Western Australia Premier] Mark McGowan as well, and to be down there at national cabinet and not have all those friendly faces around as well—it’s time for me to go and do something else.”

If Ms. Palaszczuk served her whole term, she would have been premier for at least nine years.

“A week in politics is a long time but can I tell you nine years feels like an eternity,” she said.

Ms. Palaszczuk has been the leader of the state Labor party since 2012 and premier of Queensland since 2015, winning her third term in October 2020.

“I still have the support of the entire party and the Labor movement, and I just want to thank them. It’s been a great honour to be the leader,” she said.

She steps down as the state leader ahead of the next election in October 2024.

Her role as the member for Inala will also end after 15 years.

According to the polls, state Labor has fallen behind the Liberal-National party (LNP) and is on track to lose the 2024 election.

RedBridge’s September poll showed Labor behind LNP in the two-party preferred vote, at 45-55.

The Resolve Strategic survey on Dec. 5 showed 34 percent of Queenslanders preferred Ms. Palaszczuk as premier, behind Opposition leader David Crisafulli at 39 percent.

‘Labor Hero’

Ms. Palaszczuk said she is proud of what she has achieved during her eight years in office, including lower unemployment, the transition from coal to renewable energy, and the building of three new hospitals under the state’s biggest infrastructure investment.

“I’m also proud to have led a government of women, that values women, that gave women the right to choose. During the pandemic, I had press conferences nearly every day, alongside the police commissioner and the chief health officer—all women,” she said.

She was also involved with securing Brisbane as the host of the 2032 Olympic Games.

“The Olympics and Paralympics sets the state up for decades to come,” she said.

Mr. Crisafulli thanked Ms. Palaszczuk for her service and gave well wishes for her retirement.

“Regardless of politics, nine years as premier deserves acknowledgement and respect,” he wrote on X.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Ms. Palaszczuk was retiring as a “Labor hero,” Australia’s longest serving female premier, and a champion for Queenslanders.

“From the moment she made history with her extraordinary 2015 election victory, @AnnastaciaMP has served Queensland with fierce pride in her state and a powerful determination to deliver for people,” he wrote on X.

“Annastacia’s leadership brought Queensland Labor back from the political brink and on so many occasions since then her government has put Queensland in a position of national leadership.

“Annastacia leaves office rightly proud of all she has achieved and—as ever—thinking of what is best for Queensland and its future. I wish her all the very best for her future.”

Queensland One Nation Senator Malcolm Roberts highlighted that Ms. Palaszczuk is the last “COVID premier” to retire.

“Royal Commissions don’t care whether you’ve retired Annastacia Palaszczuk,” he said. “As the last of the COVID premiers retires, we will keep fighting to hold all of them accountable for their abuses of human rights.”

Mr. Roberts led the charge to call for a royal commission into COVID-19 responses to hold state and federal governments accountable for their measures, which cost the health sector and taxpayers almost $50 billion.

However, when announcing the royal commission, Mr. Albanese revealed that actions by the states will not be scrutinised, only investigating the federal response.

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Penny Wong called Ms. Palaszczuk a “game-changer” and the first woman to win a state premiership from opposition.