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Finally: Annastacia Palaszczuk announces a Cabinet that is 50% women.

Our community is 50% women – and now so is Queensland’s Cabinet.

New Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has announced her 14 person ministry – and her Cabinet features eight women, including Indigenous MP, Leeanne Enoch.

The Palaszczuk Cabinet is smaller than the previous Newman ministry, which had 19 members, plus 12 assistant ministers. The new Premier has named only one assistant minister, making the Government substantially more streamlined.

The new Cabinet is substantially more representative than previous. Only 3 members of Newman’s 19 person Cabinet were women (15%).

The Premier has named a woman as her Deputy. Jackie Trad has also been named Minister for Transport, Minister for Infrastructure, Local Government and Planning, and Minister for Trade.

Leanne Enoch, a Nunukul-Nughi woman from North Stradbroke Island, has been appointed Minister for Housing and Public Works, and Minister for Science and Innovation

The 44 new Labor MPs gathered today and Palaszczuk reflected on the radical shift in her party’s radical shift in fortunes: “I think back three years ago there were seven us of us … look now.

She told them, “We have climbed Mount Everest … but having climbed Mount Everest there is now an enormous amount of responsibility that needs to be placed on each and every caucus member sitting here today.

“That’s the responsibility of standing up for your constituents each and every day, not to be silent, but to represent them and fight for them every step of the way.”