In The Conversation (1.2.15) Karen Struthers, former minister in the Bligh Labor Government, provides an assessment of Annastacia Palaszczuk:
‘You only have to look at what Palaszczuk has pulled off in less than three years to see she is a stronger leader than many gave her credit for. Only seven Labor MPs survived the 2012 election, among them Annastacia. She became opposition leader, and last year gained another two seats in by-elections.
When she first took over, many pundits predicted the ALP would implode. Many expected bitter in-fighting, internal war, which is what we’d seen with the unions savaging Bligh over asset sales. Many – including me – felt doubt and some empathy for the mammoth task ahead of Palaszczuk and her small team of colleagues.