Annastacia Palaszczuk says she could not attend the media conference a day after a damning report into the Queensland Public Service was released because she was having dental surgery.
Several state ministers met reporters instead of the Premier on Wednesday, following the report’s release, which points to a public service culture that is far too forgiving of bullying and unwilling to deviate from perceived government official lines.
The state government has committed to implementing all 14 recommendations from an extensive, 131-page public service review released late Tuesday. The report, authored by former vice-chancellor Peter Coaldrake at the University of Queensland, also calls for curbing access to and influence from lobbyists, including an explicit ban on “dual-hatted” professional lobbyists on election campaigns.
The Liberal-National opposition also supported recommendations from the report, with leader David Crisafulli seeking to tie the integrity issue directly to Palaszczuk.