Release: Palaszczuk's "Captains Choice" Unrepresentative

It was with a sense of bewilderment that the Australian Taxpayers’ Alliance received the news this morning that Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has announced that Chief Health Officer Jeanette Young would replace His Excellency The Honourable Paul de Jersey, AC, CVO, QC as Governor from November 2021.
“While it is patently obvious that Jeanette Young is a very effective bureaucrat, and without wishing to diminish Dr Young’s significant contributions to public health administration in the state of Queensland, it simply doesn’t pass the pub test” said Gabe Buckley, Chief Operating Officer of the Australian Taxpayers’ Alliance.
“What Dr Young is not… is notable beyond having been the face of the Queensland government’s Covid response. It’s hard to believe that - if not for being a solid ally to the premier for the last eighteen months - we would be hearing the name of a previously unknown and otherwise unremarkable public health bureaucrat to fill the highest office in the state”
Mr Buckley went on to speculate about other possible nominees for the role. “One would have to imagine that highly-qualified individuals such as well-known and universally well-regarded former Labor Senator Claire Moore, who diligently served the Queensland people across multiple roles for nearly forty years, might be shaking their heads as well”
The Australian Taxpayers’ Alliance believes that vice-regal appointments should be made for the benefit of all Australians. The use of such appointments as obvious rewards for loyal allies demeans not only the highest institutions in the land but also further erodes the trust of the Australian taxpayer.