Premiership of David Crisafulli
The premiership of David Crisafulli began on 28 October 2024 when he was sworn-in as Premier of Queensland following his Liberal National party winning the 2024 Queensland state election. Like in the Northern Territory just weeks prior, the Coalition affiliate in the state of Queensland — the LNP, won a reasonably large majority in parliament. The premiership of David Crisafulli is but one of three Liberal-National coalition-run governments in Australia, up from just Tasmania before August 2024. The election of Crisafulli's government was the first time the LNP had won government in Queensland since the extensive landslide in the 2012 Queensland state election.
During Crisafulli's election campaign, he prioritised four main issues — namely crime, health, cost of living and housing. Early in his premiership, he took executive action to permanently cancel the Pioneer Burdekin hydro plant development, with an aim to reduce the government expenditure, as well as find alternative clean-energy solutions. Crisafulli has opted to halt development of new stadia for the 2032 Brisbane Summer Olympics, in favour of upgrading other stadiums at a cheaper cost. In the role of premier, Crisafulli has reappointed various government department directors-general and commissioners, including former Labor politician and director-general for Premier and Cabinet, Mike Kaiser. In other appointments during his current term, Crisafulli will likely appoint at least 4 new justices of the Queensland Supreme Court, due to a number reaching the mandatory retirement age. Crisafulli will also nominate a successor of the current Governor of Queensland to the King of Australia for consideration later in his term due to the current governor's term ending by convention in 2026. Crisafulli's legislative agenda has so far been crime-based, with his controversial Making Queensland Safer Laws passing the parliament on 12 December 2024. The aforementioned laws have been criticised by numerous organisations, including Amnesty International, due to an alleged violation of humanitarianism. In the legislative realm, Crisafulli has also taken executive action to halt the parliamentary and independent inquiries into truth-telling and treaty following the results of the 2023 Indigenous Voice Referendum, as well as the inquiry into youth crime. Crisafulli has described himself as a centrist, and aligns with the moderate faction of the Liberal National Party of Queensland.
Electoral history
2024 Queensland state election
The 2024 Queensland state election was held on 26 October 2024. Polls prior to the election held that the chance of a Liberal-National party landslide was a probability. It is widely believed that Crisafulli's ambiguity on the issue of abortion caused polls to narrow before the election. Regardless of the poll narrowing, Crisafulli led the LNP to victory in the election, securing 52 of the 93 seats in the unicameral Parliament of Queensland. The Liberal-National party's win in the 2024 election secured the first LNP government since Campbell Newman won in a greatly-extensive landslide after the 2012 Queensland state election.In Australia's eight self-governing states and territories, all but 3 are currently under the control of a Liberal-National coalition affiliate government. Between the 2023 New South Wales state election and the electoral landslide victory of Coalition affiliate the Country Liberal Party in the Northern Territory in August 2024, Tasmania was the country's only Coalition government — albeit in a fracturing minority supported by independents.
Campaign
Prior to the 2024 election, the LNP ran a 4-pronged campaign which was styled as the "Right Plan for Queensland".Crisafulli campaigned on youth crime as a major part of his election bid. He pledged $40 million towards 4 'early intervention schools' to target youth at risk of committing crime. He also committed $50 million towards the opening of 'reset camps' for young people likely to commit crime, which was criticised by his Labor colleagues as 'power overreach' and 'abusive'.
The Crisafulli led LNP pledged $590 million towards an Easier Access to Health Services Plan which was highlighted by the following promises:
- Provide publicly available real-time hospital data, aimed at easing pressure on staff at over-triaged times, within first 100 days;
- Reduce ambulance ramping by 30% in the first 4 years;
- Hire 34,200 extra healthcare workers by 2032; and
- Aim to fast track elective surgical operations.
The LNP announced their Securing our Housing Foundations Plan during the election campaign. Crisafulli and his LNP pledged to:
- Begin new housing developments by creating a $2 billion dollar Housing Infrastructure Investment Fund;
- Work on a lower level with local councils to ensure sewer and water connections to new developments;
- Collaborate with local councils to streamline housing development approvals;
- Remove stamp duty on new houses; and
- Enact a shared-equity purchasing scheme for housing.
Swearing-in
David Crisafulli was on 28 October 2024 sworn in as the 41st Premier of Queensland. His deputy, Jarrod Bleijie, was also sworn in, with the both of them sharing a lengthy interim ministerial portfolio.On 1 November 2024, the totality of Crisafulli's 20-minister cabinet was sworn in by Governor Young of Queensland.
State and domestic affairs
Economy
Mining
In November 2024, it was revealed that Crisafulli has been in consultations with people interested in buying natural-resource mines in Mount Isa. Crisafulli criticised Glencore, the current owners intending on closing the mines, for not mining at the locations and therefore placing the employee's futures in jeopardy as well as the mining town itself. Later in November, Crisafulli confirmed that Queensland's mining tax will continue, but promises that the system will be "fairer".Housing
Within Crisafulli's first week in the premiership, he instructed the Department of the Treasury to abolish stamp duty on new builds for first home buyers.Healthcare
On 6 November 2024, Crisafulli committed to upgrading the Rockhampton Hospital's outdated emergency department to prevent it "bursting at the seams".On 10 December 2024, Crisafulli's government moved a motion in the parliament to block any changes to the Termination of Pregnancy Act that would restrict abortion, including the bill moved by Katter's Australian Party that would mandate that care be provided for babies born alive after an unsuccessful abortion.
Adolescent social media ban
Crisafulli announced in November 2024 that he would support Federal Labor's ban on under-16s using social media platforms.Brisbane 2032
It was confirmed on 21 July 2021 that Brisbane was to be the host of the 2032 Summer Olympics. Since this announcement, there has been considerable arguments over monetary allocations and stadium locations from both sides of politics. Crisafulli's predecessor, Miles, vaguely accepted International Olympic Committee recommendations in 2024 to scrap plans to upgrade a stadium in The Gabba in favour of building a new $3.4b stadium in Victoria Park, Brisbane. Crisafulli has slammed both plans and intends to consult with federal sports minister Anika Wells to work on an outcome, although Crisafulli has vowed to not construct a new stadium. In March 2025, Crisafulli announced that a new stadium at Victoria Park would be built for the 2032 Summer Olympics, despite previously stating that a new stadium would not be built in the lead up to the 2024 election.Indigenous affairs
Early in his term as premier, Crisafulli ordered that the Path to Treaty Act and parliamentary inquiries into the Act be repealed, based on the results of the 2023 Indigenous referendum.In December 2024, Crisafulli confirmed that the Queensland Government would continue to fight the Native title claim initiated by the Woppaburra people in attempt to control Great Keppel Island. Native title was previously granted to the Woppaburra people for 570 km² of the island excluding the abandoned resort, along with 13 other islands in the archipelago. The indigenous group claims that it is not anti-development and insists that they want native title purely to safeguard the 'natural beauty' of the island. The Queensland Government has said that they are against providing native title to the indigenous for the island, hinting that it would damage the government's aspirations to restart tourism to the archipelago.
LGBT
In January 2025, shortly after assuming office, Minister for Health Tim Nicholls announced an immediate pause on the prescription of puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones for new patients under 18 with gender dysphoria in Queensland's public health services, pending an additional independent review of evidence and best practices. The policy is the first such ban in an Australian state.On 27 October 2025, the Queensland Supreme Court ruled the directive unlawful.
Hours later, on 28 October 2025, Nicholls exercised his ministerial discretion under section 44 of the Act to issue a new directive reinstating the restrictions in substantially the same terms, applying immediately to all public Hospital and Health Services. It mandates multidisciplinary panel approval for any exceptions and prioritises psychological interventions, pending the review's completion and a further evidence assessment by January 2026. Nicholls justified the action as necessary "in the public interest" to protect children amid ongoing debates over treatment efficacy.
Appointments
Gubernatorial and Supreme Court Justices
As incumbent Governor Jeannette Young's term ends by convention in 2026, Crisafulli will choose the next Governor of Queensland. Within his first four-year term, more than 4 current Justice's of the Supreme Court of Queensland will reach the mandatory retirement age of 70, therefore Crisafulli will nominate new justices to be approved and appointed by the governor.Although the premier technically has the power the choose Magistrates Court of Queensland judges, this is usually delegated solely to the attorney-general whilst the AG and premier confer for the appointment of supreme court justices.
Public service
As Premier of Queensland, Crisafulli has the authority to appoint senior figures in the public service, including departmental heads.Shortly after his appointment to the Premiership, Crisafulli fired 10 directors-general of several government agencies.
Immediately following Crisafulli's election win, he contacted Director-General of Queensland's Department of Premier and Cabinet Mike Kaiser to terminate his position as director-general. This was anticipated by Kaiser, who left his position peacefully, congratulating the premier for his election. Kaiser subsequently showed his support for the convention of a premier having the ability to hire and fire departmental staff. Following this, Crisafulli named public servant David Mackie as Kaiser's successor.
Shortly after Crisafulli's appointment, he relieved long-serving Queensland Health director-general Mike Walsh of his duties, in favour of the department's previous chief operating officer, David Rosengren. In the same round of re-appointments, Crisafulli named Rob Seiler as director-general of the Department of Families, Seniors, Disability Services and Child Safety, as well as appointing various other directors-general in an acting capacity.
| Director-General or Commissioner | Department/Agency | Appointing government | Acting or full-capacity |
| John Sosso | Department of State Development, Infrastructure and Planning | Crisafulli/LNP | Full-capacity |
| David Rosengren | Queensland Health | Crisafulli/LNP | Full-capacity |
| Trish O’Callaghan | Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation | Crisafulli/LNP | Full-capacity |
| David Mackie | Department of the Premier and Cabinet | Crisafulli/LNP | Acting |
| Rachel Crossland | Queensland Treasury | Crisafulli/LNP | Acting |
| Brigita Cunnington | Department of Justice | Crisafulli/LNP | Acting |
| Sharon Schimming | Department of Education | Crisafulli/LNP | Acting |
| Kathy Parton | Department of Women, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships and Multiculturalism | Crisafulli/LNP | Acting |
| Rob Seiler | Department of Families, Seniors, Disability Services and Child Safety | Crisafulli/LNP | Acting |
| Steven Koch | Department of Customer Services, Open Data and Small and Family Business | Crisafulli/LNP | Acting |
| Peter McKay | Department of Finance, Trade, Employment and Training | Labor | Full-capacity |
| Graham Fraine | Department of Natural Resources and Mines, Manufacturing and Regional and Rural Development | Labor | Full-capacity |
| Stephan Gollschewski | Queensland Police Service | Labor | Full-capacity |
| Paul Stewart | Queensland Corrective Services | Labor | Full-capacity |
| Bob Gee | Department of Youth Justice and Victim Support | Labor | Full-capacity |
| Sally Stannard | Department of Transport and Main Roads | Labor | Full-capacity |
| Linda Dobe | Department of Local Government, Water and Volunteers | Labor | Full-capacity |
| Steve Smith | Queensland Fire Department | Labor | Full-capacity |
| Mark Cridland | Department of Housing and Public Works | Labor | Full-capacity |
| Graeme Bolton | Department of Primary Industries | Labor | Full-capacity |
| Andrew Hopper | Department of Sport, Racing and Olympic and Paralympic Games | Labor | Full-capacity |
Legislative agenda
Crime
As a part of Crisafulli's campaign on crime, he announced on 29 October 2024 that his 'Making Queensland Safer Laws' would pass the Parliament before Christmas. These prospective laws have been met with criticism by organisations such as Amnesty International, particularly on the basis of 'adult crime, adult time' which would give equivalence of criminal sentencing between adult and youth convicts. The Crisafulli government later halted an inquiry into youth crime, in favour of passing these laws before the inquiry could report its findings.The laws officially passed the parliament on 12 December 2024.
Truth-telling and treaty
Just after a week into his premiership, Crisafulli announced that due to the results of the 2023 Australian Indigenous Voice referendum, he would repeal the Path to Treaty Act 2023 and suspend the Truth-Telling and Hearing Inquiry, chaired by Aboriginal lawyer Joshua Creamer. Labor governments in Queensland, Victoria, and South Australia took action to dissent from the public opinion revealed in the 2023 referendum and instead implement state-based recommendations of the Uluru Statement from the Heart including South Australia's implementation of an indigenous voice to Parliament.Federal Minister for Indigenous Australians, Malarndirri McCarthy, criticised Crisafulli's haste with repealing the act and stopping the inquiry, telling him to "hold your horses".