Deborah Snow writes in the Sydney Morning Herald (7.2.15) that Annastacia Palaszczuk ‘is no show pony, but has a natural, plain-spoken kind of warmth which Queenslanders seem to have taken to. Her easy mingling with people on the campaign trail stood in contrast to Newman’s more stage-managed appearances, and she bounced back from a gaffe over the GST.
‘She … won respect for weathering the derision directed at her by LNP opponents after Labor’s 2012 wipeout. Among other provocations, the Newman government threw the then-tiny ALP caucus out of its Parliament House quarters, saying the space was needed for committee rooms.
‘”The hubris and arrogance that followed in the chamber was pretty outrageous,” says her deputy, Jackie Trad. “But Annastacia is a person who knows herself. We formed a very close-knit team that was incredibly supportive. My view is that leaders are made, not born, and she has seized those opportunities to become a great leader.”‘