David Crisafulli
David Frank Crisafulli is an Australian politician who has served as the 41st premier of Queensland since 2024 and leader of the Liberal National Party since 2020. He has been the member of the Legislative Assembly for Broadwater since 2017.
Crisafulli previously held ministerial positions in the Newman government. He is the first Queensland premier to have Italian heritage.
Early life and career
Crisafulli was born on 14 April 1979 in Ingham, Queensland. He is one of two children born to Karen and Antonino "Tony" Crisafulli; his parents are both of Italian origin. His father's family originates from the village of Novara di Sicilia in Sicily, Italy. His paternal grandfather Francesco Crisafulli immigrated to Australia in 1960 to work as a cane-cutter and later established his own sugarcane farm on the Herbert River.Crisafulli was raised in Ingham, where he attended Canossa Primary School and Gilroy Santa Maria College. He graduated with a Bachelor of Journalism degree from James Cook University in Townsville in 2000. While at university he also worked full-time as a cadet reporter at the Herbert River Express.
In 2000, Crisafulli moved into television, becoming a journalist with WIN News in Townsville, and was made chief of staff of the Townsville newsroom in 2002. During that time, he also worked as a correspondent for The Australian and Sunday Mail newspapers, did weekly work for DMG Regional Radio as a newsreader, and lectured in journalism at James Cook University.
Politics
In 2003, Crisafulli was appointed a ministerial media advisor to the then Howard government Minister and Liberal Senator for Queensland, Ian Macdonald. In 2004, Crisafulli successfully stood for what was then the 100% Labor Party-controlled Townsville City Council, on a conservative platform. He became the youngest person ever elected to the council. In 2008, when the Townsville and Thuringowa councils were merged, he stood as a candidate at the first election for the enlarged council. Crisafulli made a deal with Les Tyrell, the former mayor of Thuringowa, to stand in partnership for the mayor and deputy mayor positions; Tyrell won election as mayor and Crisafulli as deputy mayor. He served as deputy mayor until his resignation in 2012 to stand for a seat in the Queensland Parliament. During his second term on Council, he became the chairman of the Townsville City Council Planning Committee.In the 2012 Queensland state election, Crisafulli was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Queensland in the seat of Mundingburra, as a member of the Liberal National party. He was appointed the Minister for Local Government in the new Newman government. In February 2013, his role was expanded when he became Minister for Local Government, Community Recovery and Resilience. He re-contested Mundingburra at the 2015 Queensland state election but was defeated by the Labor candidate Coralee O'Rourke.
Following his 2015 election loss, Crisafulli and his family relocated to Hope Island on Queensland's Gold Coast. He subsequently ran a small business giving advice about dealing with government and business development opportunities.
In May 2017, he defeated incumbent Broadwater MP Verity Barton for LNP preselection to contest the 2017 election, and subsequently won the Broadwater seat. In December 2017, after the election of Deb Frecklington as Leader of the Opposition, Crisafulli was appointed the Shadow Minister for Environment, Science and the Great Barrier Reef, and Shadow Minister for Tourism.
On 12 November 2020, Crisafulli became Leader of the Opposition in Queensland, after the Liberal National Party elected him as party leader following the resignation of Deb Frecklington.
Premier of Queensland (2024–present)
Crisafulli led the LNP into the 2024 Queensland state election. The LNP gained a 51 seat majority in the Queensland Parliament, and he subsequently became the 41st Premier of Queensland.Crisafulli was sworn in as Queensland's 41st Premier by Governor Jeannette Young on 28 October, alongside his deputy Jarrod Bleijie. The pair formed an interim ministry, with the full ministry sworn in later that week.
Youth crime laws
Crisafulli has prioritised curbing youth crimes as part of his electoral campaign promise during his premiership, with the slogan "adult crime, adult time", promising and eventually implementing adult sentences for youth crimes during his premiership, which apply to children as young as ten years of age. The laws have been passed in tranches establishing substantial penalties for an increasing number of crimes, with the first tranche in late 2024 and the second tranche, which increased the number of crimes to 33, in May 2025.These laws have garnered criticism as being contrary to child rights, including a report from the United Nations special rapporteur on torture criticizing it as "incompatible with basic child rights". Crisafulli has pushed back on the criticism, saying, "Here's my message to the United Nations, 'You don't control me, and I don't answer to you, I answer to Queenslanders'".
Queensland Health recruitment corruption allegation
On 2 September 2025 Crisafulli was referred to the Queensland Crime and Corruption Commission, Queensland's peak anti-corruption body over allegations that Crisafulli, along with health minister Tim Nicholls, inappropriately intervened to push Queensland Health's senior public servant, Director-General Dr David Rosegren to rescind an offer of employment made to Dr Krispin Hajkowicz for a permanent Chief Health Officer role. The intervention came after discussion from the Premier to Dr Rosegren and resulted in the job offer being withdrawn after the would be candidate had already taken publicity photographs for a draft media release regarding the appointment. Crisafulli stated that he had "advised Rosegren" of "the concerns of the Government", prior to the withdrawal of the role despite the expert recruitment panel identifying Dr Hajkowicz as the preferred candidate. The submission to the CCC alleged that Crisafulli intervened to block the appointment in order to punish Dr Hajkowicz for his wife's political views, after she made a submission to Parliament regarding laws exempting the future Brisbane Olympic stadium from legal oversight. Acting Premier David Janetzki refused to comment on the investigation.Political views
Crisafulli claims and describes his political views as centrist and decentralist.Crisafulli opposes allowing trans women to compete against cisgender women in sport and voted for an unsuccessful bill tabled by Katter's Australian Party leader Robbie Katter that sought to ban trans women from playing women's sports in Queensland.
Crisafulli personally opposed the Indigenous Voice to Parliament, but decided not to campaign against it and members of the LNP were given a free vote on the issue.
Crisafulli has said, that in the event he was elected as premier, he would not roll back Indigenous treaty legislation. This was despite facing pressure from the LNP grassroots to do so. However, on 19 October 2023, a few days after the 2023 Australian Indigenous Voice referendum Crisafulli announced the LNP will be dropping its support for Treaty.
Crisafulli opposed the Termination of Pregnancy Bill 2018, which decriminalised abortion in Queensland, and the Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill 2021, which legalised voluntary assisted dying. Both Bills were passed in conscience votes. During the 2024 election campaign, he stated he supported a "woman's right to choose" and noted that six years had passed since the bill was voted on.
After becoming Premier, Crisafulli banned discussions and debate on abortion in parliament for four years.
Crisafulli is a skeptic of nuclear energy, despite the federal opposition Coalition's affirmative stance towards modular nuclear reactors.
Crisafulli has been outspoken about his opposition to youth crime, including promises during the 2024 election campaign to implement solitary confinement for said offenders, as well as subsequent legislation as Premier.