Annastacia Palaszczuk

Annastacia Palaszczuk (25 July 1969—) is an Australian politician and solicitor serving as the 39th premier of Queensland.

Raised in Durack, Brisbane, Palaszczuck attended St Mary's College in Ipswich from 1982 to 1986. She has degrees in Arts and Laws from the University of Queensland, a Masters of Arts from the London School of Economics, and a Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice from Australian National University. 

Palaszczuk was a political adviser and lawyer before her election to the Legislative Assembly in 2006, succeeding her father Henry Palaszczuk in the seat of Inala. She held several roles in the Bligh Government from 2009 to 2012 before being elected as leader of Queensland Labor in 2012. She led her party to victory in the 2015 state elections and was reelected in 2017 and 2020.

During the 2020 election campaign, Palaszczuk announced her government would legalise euthanasia by February 2021, in spite of opposition from the Liberal National Party of Queensland. It was reported by SBS news that that Palaszczuk's approach to the issue was simply to gain votes from marginal seats, although she denied this: "I'm saying to Queenslanders: it is a personal matter for a family and the individual and the medical practitioners. It is not for me to make the decision on behalf of them." ("It's a personal matter," 2020).