Palaszczuk's first year: a political juggling act

Abstract

The book deals with two of the principles that underpin the wielding of executive power in our democratic system – firstly, the accountability of government to the people and, secondly, the obligation of governments to act according to law and in the public interest. It starts with a description of the Palaszczuk government in action and then reviews constraints imposed on it by the requirements of accountability. The main theme of this study is the problem of maintaining balance in the face of those two principles: the conflicting demands for taking purposeful action and for responding to legitimate calls for public accountability. Keeping one’s balance is the primary prerequisite for successful democratic leadership. Juggling competing and changing priorities is the ultimate test of political leadership