AceBreakingNews – Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has announced she is stepping down as leader and leaving politics for good.

Ace Press News From Cutting Room Floor: Published: Dec.10 2023: ABC Politics News: TELEGRAM Ace Daily News Link https://t.me/+PuI36tlDsM7GpOJe

In a shock announcement during what was meant to be a press conference about Cyclone Jasper on Sunday, an emotional Ms Palaszczuk said it was the “right time” to move on.

“I will finish at the end of this week as premier and the next premier of Queensland is for caucus to decide on Friday, giving MPs time to come back” she said.

“And soon, the people of Queensland will have their say.

“But now is the time for me to find out what else life has to offer.”

Ms Palaszczuk said it had been “a great honour to be the leader of this party”.

“But I’ve done nearly nine years as premier, three years before that as leader of the opposition.”

Come the end of the month, she will also finish as member for Inala.

Approval ratings decline sharply

Ms Palaszczuk said she had been thinking about retirement since holidaying in Italy with her partner in August, but it follows a politically damaging few months.

In September, she fought off chatter of internal party dissatisfaction and leadership rumblings, and before that was faced with a bruising sitting week, which started with hundreds of people marching on Queensland Parliament in support of victims of crime.

Political scientist Paul Williams said the Queensland premier’s approval ratings had declined sharply.

“The premier’s personal approval has declined, so it’s very much a case of the Labor Party has to remove [the] premier who no longer has the public’s favour,” Mr Williams said.

In a one-on-one interview with the ABC in October, Ms Palaszczuk said she’d learnt from that time and conceded she and her government needed to listen more.

“It was a challenging time, yes I do admit that,” she said.

“We could have done things differently and I absolutely have learnt from that.”

However, she refuted any suggestions she was ready to leave the role, and said she was steadfast in leading her government to next year’s state election.

Politicians react to resignation

In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese labelled Annastacia Palaszczuk a “Labor hero”.

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

“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.”

He said Ms Palaszczuk would leave office “rightly proud of all she has achieved and – as ever – thinking of what is best for Queensland and its future”.

Opposition leader David Crisafulli said that regardless of politics, “nine years as premier deserves acknowledgement and respect”.

“I want to thank Annastacia Palaszczuk for her service and wish her well in her retirement.”

Who is next in line to lead?

Deputy Premier Steven Miles has confirmed he will vie to be the next leader of the Queensland Labor party.

“ I commit to my colleagues and to Queenslanders that I will work day and night to realise the enormous potential of our great state and its people,” he said.

“I pledge to deliver better government, I am up for the challenges and in it for Queenslanders.

“The Palaszczuk government has delivered a lot. A Labor government that I lead will build on that legacy and refocus the state on the services Queenslanders rely upon.”

Mr Miles also paid tribute to Ms Palaszczuk, saying she had brought the party back into office at a time when people had written Labor off for a generation.Loading…

Meanwhile, Health Minister Shannon Fentiman has also been widely tipped as a future Queensland Labor leader.

Taking to social media, Ms Fentiman said the premier had led Queensland “with courage, passion, and tenacity”.

“We will always be grateful for the decisions she made during COVID to keep us safe,” she wrote.

Keppel MP Brittany Lauga confirmed she would back Ms Fentiman for the top job if she put her hand up, adding that “she is the best person for the job”.

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