Leadership positions


Leader of the Labor Party in Queensland
In office 28 March 2012 – 15 December 2023
Deputy	Tim Mulherin Jackie Trad Steven Miles
Preceded by	Anna Bligh
Succeeded by	Steven Miles
Leader of the Opposition in Queensland
In office 28 March 2012 – 14 February 2015
Premier	Campbell Newman
Deputy	Tim Mulherin
Preceded by	Jeff Seeney
Succeeded by	Lawrence Springborg

Cabinet positions

Minister for Transport
In office 21 February 2011 – 26 March 2012
Premier	Anna Bligh
Preceded by	Rachel Nolan
Succeeded by	Scott Emerson
Minister for Multicultural Affairs
In office 26 March 2009 – 26 March 2012
Premier	Anna Bligh
Preceded by	Lindy Nelson-Carr
Succeeded by	Jack Dempsey
Minister for Disability Services
In office 26 March 2009 – 21 February 2011
Premier	Anna Bligh
Preceded by	Lindy Nelson-Carr
Succeeded by	Curtis Pitt

Personal details

Born

25 July 1969 (age 56)
Durack, Queensland, Australia

Political party

Labor

Spouses

George Megalogenis

(m. 1996; div. 1998)
Simon Every

(m. 2004; div. 2009)

Domestic partners

Shaun Drabsch (2015–2018)
Reza Adib (since 2021)

Parents

Henry Palaszczuk (father)
Lorelle Palaszczuk (mother)

Education

Jamboree Heights State School
St Mary's College

Alma mater

Occupation

Policy adviser
Politician

Cabinet

Palaszczuk Ministry

Signature

Annastacia Palaszczuk (born 25 July 1969) is an Australian politician. She was the 39th Premier of Queensland from 2015 to 2023. She was also the leader of the Labor Party in Queensland from 2012 until she stepped down. From 2006 to 2023, she was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland (MLA) for the area of Inala.

Annastacia Palaszczuk is one of the longest-serving premiers in Queensland's history. She was the first woman to become premier after being the leader of the opposition. Her first group of government ministers, called a cabinet, had more women than men. This was the first time this had happened in Australian state or federal history.

Before becoming a politician, Palaszczuk worked as an adviser. She took over the seat of Inala from her father, Henry Palaszczuk. She held several important roles in the government from 2009 to 2012. After a big election loss in 2012, she became the leader of the Labor Party in Queensland. This made her the Leader of the Opposition.

Even though her party had lost many seats in 2012, Palaszczuk led Labor to win the 2015 election. She became the first woman in Australia to become a state premier from opposition. She then led Labor to win even more seats in the 2017 and 2020 elections. This made her the first Australian female premier to win three terms.

On 10 December 2023, Palaszczuk announced she would be leaving her role as Premier. She officially resigned on 15 December. Her Deputy Premier, Steven Miles, took over as Premier on the same day. She left parliament at the end of December 2023.

Early Life and Education

Annastacia Palaszczuk grew up in Durack, a suburb of Brisbane. Her father, Henry Palaszczuk, was a long-serving Labor politician. Her mother, Lorelle, has German family roots.

She went to St Mary's College in Ipswich from 1982 to 1986. She studied at the University of Queensland, where she earned degrees in Arts and Law. She also has a Masters of Arts from the London School of Economics. She completed a special diploma in legal practice at the Australian National University.

Starting Her Political Journey

Palaszczuk worked as an adviser for several Labor government ministers. These included ministers for communities, disabilities, and the environment. She was planning to become a lawyer when her father decided to retire from politics.

After her father retired, Annastacia Palaszczuk ran for his seat of Inala. This area in south-west Brisbane was a very safe Labor seat. She won the election in 2006 by a large number of votes.

In October 2008, Palaszczuk became a Parliamentary Secretary. In March 2009, she was appointed Minister for Disability Services and Multicultural Affairs. In February 2011, she was promoted to Minister for Transport and Multicultural Affairs.

Leading the Opposition

In the 2012 election, the government lost many seats. Only seven Labor members remained in the Legislative Assembly. Annastacia Palaszczuk was one of only three cabinet members who kept their seats.

After the election, the Premier resigned. Palaszczuk decided to run for the leadership of the Labor Party. She was elected without anyone else running against her on 28 March 2012. This made her the new Leader of the Opposition.

She faced a big challenge to rebuild the party after such a large loss. She said the party needed to reconnect with voters. She wanted to focus on core Labor ideas like workers' rights and protecting the environment. She also apologized for a past government decision that had made people unhappy.

Premier of Queensland

Annastacia Palaszczuk is the first Premier of Queensland with Polish family background.

First Term: 2015–2017

Winning the 2015 Election

Most people thought it would be very hard for Labor to win the 2015 state election. Labor needed to win many more seats to form a government. However, Labor surprised everyone by winning a lot of votes.

The final results showed Labor had 44 seats and the other main party had 42. The decision of who would form the government depended on a few independent politicians. On 5 February, an independent politician named Peter Wellington announced he would support a Labor government. This gave Labor enough seats to form a government.

On 14 February 2015, Annastacia Palaszczuk was sworn in as Premier. This was only the seventh time the government had changed in Queensland since 1915.

Focus on Public Services

During her election campaign in 2015, Palaszczuk promised to support public servants and stop job cuts. Her government's budgets generally increased money for health and education. The government also focused on creating more jobs in the public service. Over her first two terms, the public service grew by 30,000 workers.

Changes to Election Rules

In 2016, new laws were passed to change how elections work. These changes included adding four more seats to parliament, changing how people vote, and setting fixed four-year terms for the government.

Second Term: 2017–2020

Winning the 2017 Election

Palaszczuk led Labor into the 2017 Queensland state election hoping to win again. It was a close election. After almost two weeks, it was confirmed that Labor had won enough seats to form a majority government. Labor won 48 seats, which was four more than before.

Caring for the Environment

Palaszczuk's government introduced new environmental policies. These included banning single-use plastic bags and starting a recycling program for containers.

In May 2018, new laws were passed to limit land clearing. This was because Queensland had one of the highest rates of deforestation in the country. Environmental groups supported these laws, but some farming businesses protested against them.

Palaszczuk's government also set goals for climate change. They aimed for 50% renewable energy by 2030 and to be carbon neutral by 2050.

LGBTQ+ Rights

On 11 May 2017, the Queensland Parliament officially apologized to people who were wrongly convicted of homosexual offences in the past. Palaszczuk supported same-sex marriage and encouraged people to vote 'yes' in the national survey. In August 2020, her government helped pass a law to ban certain practices that tried to change a person's sexual orientation.

Healthcare Choices

On 17 October 2018, a law was passed that allowed for certain healthcare choices up to 22 weeks of pregnancy. It also created safe zones around clinics.

Carmichael Coal Mine

Palaszczuk faced discussions about her support for the Carmichael coal mine. This mine has caused debate due to its possible environmental effects. There was a big campaign called "Stop Adani" against the mine.

Before the 2019 federal election, some people said Palaszczuk was delaying the mine's approval. However, her government won another election in 2020. In October 2020, Palaszczuk approved a deal for the mine to delay some royalty payments. The Treasurer confirmed that all taxes would still be paid, with interest.

COVID-19 Pandemic Response

Queensland found its first case of COVID-19 on 28 January 2020. Palaszczuk declared a public health emergency the next day. The state had its first death from the virus on 13 March.

Palaszczuk announced lockdowns and closed state borders from 23 March. Schools and universities also closed. As the number of cases went down, restrictions were slowly eased. Most restrictions were lifted by July.

The state border closures were a big topic of discussion. They were criticized by leaders from other states and the Prime Minister. However, Palaszczuk was very popular among Queensland voters for her handling of the pandemic. She also announced a temporary freeze on public servant wages, saying it was needed for future job security.

Third Term: 2020–2023

Winning the 2020 Election

Palaszczuk led Queensland Labor into the 2020 election. She was very popular with voters. The Labor Party won four more seats, bringing their total to 52. They won almost all of Brisbane's seats. Palaszczuk declared victory on election night.

Youth Justice Laws

In 2021, Palaszczuk announced new measures for young people who commit crimes. These included giving police more powers and using GPS ankle monitors for some offences. In 2022, more measures were announced, such as building new youth detention centers and faster sentencing programs.

Clean Energy Plan

In 2022, Palaszczuk introduced a large, ten-year plan for clean energy. This plan aims to use solar and wind power, along with hydro storage technology. The goal is for 80% of Queensland's power to come from renewable sources by 2035. The plan also includes building a very large hydro storage facility.

Retirement from Politics

On 10 December 2023, Annastacia Palaszczuk announced she would retire from politics. She supported her Deputy, Steven Miles, to take over. He became the leader of the Labor Party and Premier on 15 December.

Personal Life

Annastacia Palaszczuk was married to journalist George Megalogenis from 1996 to 1998. She was then married to Simon Every from 2004 to 2009. From 2015 to 2018, her partner was Shaun Drabsch. Since September 2021, she has been in a relationship with Dr Reza Adib, a surgeon.

In August 2024, Palaszczuk was appointed to the board of Australia Post. This appointment was welcomed by government ministers.

Annastacia Palaszczuk facts for kids

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