Key Points
- An integrity review found "major issues" in Queensland public service.
- The premier says cabinet papers will be release in 30 days instead of 30 years as part of the government's response.
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says she still loves her job and intends to lead Labor to another election following the release of a damning integrity review.
Professor Peter Coaldrake's landmark report into the public service, released on Tuesday, outlined a tolerance of bullying and a reluctance to deviate from the perceived official government line.
Ms Palaszcuk initially stopped short of issuing an apology to affected staff when questioned about the report but addressed them directly on Friday.
"To any public servant who has been bullied, I do apologise for that," she said.
The premier also sought to underline the seriousness of the findings after describing the Coaldrake report as a health check.
"I probably wasn't as clear yesterday as I should have been ... the report is serious, of course we take it seriously, that is why I have accepted every single one of those recommendations," she said.
And there is no uncertainty about whether Ms Palaszczuk intends seek another term when Queensland returns to the polls in 2024.
"I intend to take this team to the next election ... and the people of Queensland will decide whether or not they want a government that's focused on them ... or whether they want an opposition that is yet to provide any alternative polices,' she said.
"I love this job, I love the people of this state and the people of this state give me energy every single day."
The comments follow Liberal National opposition leader David Crisafulli taking aim at the premier for not taking a harder line against behaviour outlined in the report.
"(A leader) would accept responsibility for it, they'd apologise and they would hold the people who they employ directly accountable," he said on Thursday.
Premier promises 'revolutionary' release of cabinet papers
On Thursday, the Queensland government promised it would release cabinet papers within 30 days instead of 30 years, in what Ms Palaszczuk said was a "revolutionary" response to an integrity review.
The premier faced a barrage of questions on Thursday, two days after the Coaldrake review found major issues within the public service.
Professor Peter Coaldrake's landmark report pointed to a tolerance of bullying and a reluctance to deviate from the perceived official government line.
Ms Palaszczuk said she was taking "personal responsibility" to make certain the report's 14 recommendations are implemented, among them the proactive release of cabinet submissions, agendas and decision papers.
"It means that cabinet papers, which are usually held for 30 years, will be released in 30 days. This is revolutionary," she said.
People are more likely to trust their governments if decisions that affect their lives and spend taxpayers' funds are "made in the open and subject to scrutiny", Professor Coaldrake found.
Notably, the Queensland government has faced scrutiny over the details of its Wellcamp COVID-19 quarantine facility contracts, pointing to commercial-in-confidence considerations.
Mr Crisafulli took aim at Ms Palaszczuk's failure to release any further details on Wellcamp in light of the Coaldrake findings.
"A leader ... would stand up and release the costings of Wellcamp because that is money that has been spent by taxpayers and there is not one ounce of commercial-in-confidence in that whatsoever," he said on Thursday.
The Coaldrake report also calls for the access and influence of lobbyists to be reigned in, including an explicit ban on 'dual-hatting' during election campaigns.
"To every single member of the business community out there, you do not need to employ a lobbyist to have a meeting with my government," Ms Palaszczuk said.
But on dual-hatting, the practice of former political campaigners taking on lobbying roles after elections, the premier said every state and federal campaign run by the major parties employed a lobbyist.
"That has been the practice for many years, in fact, many decades," she said.
The Liberal-National opposition backed the report's recommendations, with Mr Crisafulli saying a poor public service culture was having a direct impact on the government's ability to deliver.
Katter's Australian Party also welcomed the report but said it would do little to address concerns, while the Greens said the recommendations are "band-aid solutions" to a systemic level of government interference.
