EXCLUSIVE: The unearthing of a cover-up cabal within Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk’s government, the state ALP branch and an affiliated union raises further questions on the Labor Party’s ability to actually do something about systemic cultural issues plaguing their movement. Pierce Field reports from Brisbane.
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk’s office has found itself at the centre of yet another example of Australia’s political culture of cronyism and detachment from reality and the expectations of the community.
Following on from our exclusive outing last month of Federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers as an alleged historical sex-pest, True Crime News Weekly can now reveal a culture of alleged sexual misconduct and cover-ups in the Member for Rankin’s Sunshine State faction.
This publication has learned of TWO historical complaints against a recently-promoted Palaszczuk staffer that was actively covered up by both the union and Queensland Labor head office.
The incidents are alleged to have taken place before the staffer was employed by Premier Palaszczuk, where they currently remain.
TCNW understands one complainant approached the union’s female liaison officer and was actively discouraged by her to report the matter to the Queensland Police Service, whilst the second complainant was allegedly ignored by QLD Labor during the term of its first female Party Secretary, Julie-Ann Campbell.
Ms Campbell, from the Left, was in the role for four years and is eyeing off the federal seat of Moreton, but has been unable to successfully challenge sitting MP Graham Perrett for his leafy electorate on Brisbane’s southside.
She recently departed Labor for a role with Ernst and Young, whilst the union official is now employed with a senior QLD Minister.
For context, the ALP has organised factions usually split on ideological lines, with the Left favouring more progressive environment and social issues, whilst the Right charge themselves with the responsibility of ensuring the Party is electable to swing voters.
Labor Forum are the dominate Right faction in Queensland and consists of some of the most powerful players within the movement such as Chalmers, federal president and former Treasurer Wayne Swan, new federal Aged Care Minister Anika Wells, Queensland Treasurer Cameron Dick and the Premier’s Deputy Chief of Staff, Jon Persley.
Persley and Chalmers both worked for Wayne Swan during the Gillard Government, with the former resigning from his position in Federal Labor to take up a role with the Premier in late 2020 and the latter is now the Treasurer of Australia.
Affiliated unions include the Australian Workers Union QLD (AWU), Transport Workers Union QLD and the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association QLD (SDA).
Union support is vital for those wishing to enter parliament for Labor as they hold significant influence on pre-selections and the ability to finance campaigns.
The staffer is directly related to a major powerbroker within Queensland Labor and previously worked for both party office and the union concerned.
It is unknown whether Premier Palaszczuk is aware of the matters. When approached by TCNW, the Premier’s office did not respond to our questions and referred our enquiries to the Queensland Police Service (QPS).
The QPS told TCNW that a thorough investigation was conducted after it received a report of alleged sexual abuse.
“Detectives from the Crime and Intelligence Command conducted a comprehensive investigation over several months into alleged sexual offences,” a police spokesperson said.
“Following thorough consideration of all investigative materials it has been determined that insufficient evidence exists to proceed with any charges.
“All parties have been notified of this outcome”
– Queensland Police Service
As no criminal charges have been laid, TCNW will not reveal the identities of the concerned parties, however we are choosing to publish these allegations as a matter of public interest.
These unsettling allegations are revealed as the Palaszczuk Government strengthens its resolve to stop sexual assault and violence against women after the shocking murders of Hannah Clark and her three children.
Coercive control will be a criminal offence in Queensland by the end of 2023 as a part of a $363 million package that also includes an inquiry into how QPS handles domestic violence complaints.
Attorney-General and Minister for Women, Shannon Fentiman, made the following statement in regards to the allegations:
“I have no knowledge of the allegations you have raised. The Palaszczuk government takes any matters of domestic, family and sexual violence very seriously.
“We have recently accepted all recommendations of the Women’s Safety and Justice Taskforce including recommendations around strengthening respectful relationship education.
“This month the taskforce will hand down its second report which has a focus on sexual violence. I look forward to receiving their recommendations on how we can better support victims and hold perpetrators to account.”
– Shannon Fentiman, Queensland Attorney-General & Minister For Women
Grassroots Labor members are furious at the inaction in dealing with these matters, expressing their frustration at the party apparatus.
“It’s a boys club (the QLD Right), plain and simple,” one Labor member said. “Nothing changes despite all of the promises”
Neither the union concerned, their national office or Queensland Labor responded to our questions.
Spokespeople for the Queensland Greens and Katter’s Australian Party declined to comment.
The LNP Opposition and its leader, David Crisafulli, were not approached due to their inability at a federal level to deal with their assorted creeps, and TCNW will not provide a platform for hypocritical grandstanding.
The latest revelations seem to be another piece in what appears to be a QLD Labor protection racket that extends from the federal level – with the likes of Chalmers – right down to the state government.
More shockingly, an ALP-affiliated union committed to the ideals of treating people with dignity and respect are seemingly deliberately and unethically working against their own mantra.
And once again, its the victims that are disbelieved, discouraged and ignored by the people responsible for their safety to protect the careers of their abusers – and their own.
These damning allegations once again places Labor under the spotlight given their rhetoric on fixing the broken culture in their ranks.
It’s conduct reminiscent of some from the Morrison Government, and we all know how that ended up for Scott. Will Labor fall into the same trap, or can the ALP literally change the way politics is done in Australia, as per Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s vision?
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