Steven Miles has conceded he will be the underdog at the Queensland election next October, as the incoming premier signalled he would focus on cost of living as his campaign strategy.
Miles will be named premier on Friday after his only opponent for the position, health minister Shannon Fentiman, withdrew her candidacy on Tuesday.
In their first press conference as leaders-in-waiting, Miles and his chosen deputy, Cameron Dick, announced the government would freeze car registration in the new year.
The move is intended to signal the new government is focused on cost of living, after days of leadership speculation.
“We will be a government that builds for Queensland’s future,” Miles said.
“And I’m confident that, putting that case to the people of Queensland … once they’ve seen me lead, and seen the government I lead, I’m confident we can win. But obviously it will be hard; we are the underdogs.”
Miles denied media reports that the support of Dick’s right faction for his leadership bid had been stitched together behind the scenes by trade union leaders.
“I asked Cameron to serve as my deputy and to remain as the treasurer, and that is the agreement that we have. We are a strong team. We’ve worked together for a long time, we share similar values,” Miles said.
The new leadership team is expected to announce a major cabinet reshuffle, the government’s second of the year, with many tipping roads minister Mark Bailey to be jettisoned.
Miles confirmed Fentiman will remain health minister, and that Dick will remain treasurer as well as deputy premier, but he refused to guarantee seats at the cabinet table for anyone else.
Veteran education minister Grace Grace and rising star housing minister Meaghan Scanlon both attended Tuesday’s press conference.
The sports minister, Stirling Hinchliffe, who is retiring next year, on Tuesday signalled his resignation from cabinet.
Miles and Dick will be Queensland Labor’s first all-male leadership team since 2007. The incoming premier told media to “expect to see many more women in ministerial roles”.
He identified service delivery, particularly in housing, health, education and crime reduction, as major priorities for the new government.
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“What I intend to demonstrate to Queenslanders between now and then is just what kind of Premier I would be: absolutely focused on them, their safety, their cost of living, and the issues that are important to them.”
He also revealed he had been “convinced” of the need for an independent authority for infrastructure delivery for the Olympics and Paralympics. Miles said he would get work under way establishing the body as soon as he was in the job.
Annastacia Paluszczuk – who signalled her resignation from politics in an ambush announcement on Sunday – will remain premier until a party caucus meeting cements the new leadership on Friday.
Fentiman withdrew from the race Tuesday morning after Dick, the right faction leader, threw his support behind Miles. It’s understood the deal involves additional right MPs being promoted to cabinet.
Miles was elected to parliament in 2015 and served as minister for the environment in the Paluszczuk government’s first term. He was promoted to health minister after winning re-election in 2017.
As the most senior member of the left faction left in parliament, Miles took over as deputy premier after the former deputy Jackie Trad lost her seat in 2020.
The next election in Queensland is scheduled for October 2024.