Who is Steven Miles? The very controversial deputy premier endorsed by Annastacia Palaszczuk as her successor
Annastacia Palaszczuk has backed Steven Miles to be Queensland’s next premier following her shock resignation.
An emotional Ms Palaszczuk announced her departure through tears on Sunday, saying “the time has come”.
“I’ve been thinking about it for a while,” she said.
“Now is the right time. It’s time for a renewal, I have a great deputy in Stephen Miles and I believe he will make a great Prime Minister.”
But he will likely have to compete with Health Minister Shannon Fentiman and Treasurer Cameron Dick for the top job.
Annastacia Palaszczuk has backed her deputy Steven Miles (pictured) to be Queensland’s next premier following her shock resignation.
Miles, 44, who has been Ms Palachuk’s deputy since May 2020 and has been a Labor MP since 2015, is no stranger to controversy.
He has been a strong supporter of quarantine and border closures during the coronavirus pandemic, praising Ms Palachuk’s “measured, cautious and safe approach” while criticizing NSW’s “reckless” decision to allow travel until Christmas 2021.
However, his biggest claim to infamy came earlier in the year when he almost called then-Prime Minister Scott Morrison a keyword – and blamed the gaffe on an obvious stutter.
Mr Miles spoke at a Labor Day event in Brisbane in May 2021 when he compared then Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese attending a free event to Mr Morrison charging $5,500 per person to attend a fundraiser.
“Scott Morrison is in town, he’s doing a fundraiser for $5,000 a seat, think about it,” Miles told the crowd.
“Albo is here with us on Labor Day, and Scott Morrison is charging $5,000 a person for dinner.”
“What a trick… contrast.”
Mr Miles, 44, has been Ms Palachuk’s deputy since May 2020 and has been a Labor MP since 2015 (they are pictured together).
Annastacia Palaszczuk (pictured) resigned as Queensland Premier on Sunday
Miles, who had grinned and laughed as the crowd roared with laughter and cheered the slip, then introduced Mr. Albanese, who he said would have been more careful with his words.
At a press conference after the event, Miles said the gaffe was the result of his stutter.
“I understand that I may have stuttered when I spoke earlier and some in the crowd may not have heard,” he said.
“What I said, I want to make it very, very clear: I used the word contrast, the word contrast.”
Deputy Prime Minister Steven Miles pretended to tear up the NSW government’s bill in a publicity stunt.
The 43-year-old, who succeeded Jackie Trad as deputy prime minister in 2020, said that despite his disagreement with Morrison’s policies, he would “never use such language”.
“I understand there was a slight stutter and people might have misheard me, but that was definitely not my intention.”
Earlier that year, Miles had another run-in with Prime Minister Morrison when he filmed himself tearing up a tax invoice from the NSW government and called Morrison a “school bully” for ordering the state to pay the cost of a quarantine hotel .
He recorded himself destroying a $30 million bill for 7,112 travelers with Queensland addresses who were in quarantine in New South Wales from March 29 to September 30, 2020.
Mr Miles said Queensland would not pay until Mr Morrison cleared the proposed national quarantine center near Toowoomba in the state’s south-east.
“Scott Morrison is like the school bully telling us we should give our lunch money to NSW,” Mr Miles said.
“We will not pay this bill as long as the Commonwealth refuses to approve our plan for a national quarantine centre.”
But Mr. Miles came under heavy fire from the side 2 GB Breakfast radio host Ben Fordham on his comments.
“This guy is a kid,” Fordham told listeners.
“He’s in trouble with the Commonwealth because they don’t like his stupid idea, so he’s taking our money hostage.
Covid press conferences can test the attention span of most adults, and now add to that the need to sit next door to a kite festival. Pictured: Stephen Miles (centre), daughter Bridie (centre) and Health Minister Yvette D’Ath (right).
“In the doping department, he is a world record holder. Give him a gold medal!”
He drew criticism in 2020 when he made a joke after then-US President Donald Trump was taken to hospital with Covid-19.
“Have you considered IV disinfectant?” Miles tweeted.
The joke was a reference to Trump’s much-ridiculed suggestion that injecting bleach or disinfectant could help fight the virus.
Miles was criticized for the “highly inappropriate” comment.
In 2020, Miles came under attack from the Queensland Liberal National Party.
A video appeared on the party’s Facebook page of Miles accidentally swallowing a fly at a press conference.
But the advert backfired after people accused the LNP of being “teenage” and “disgraceful”.
Before entering politics, the father of three was a labor organizer and ran a small local business.
He received his PhD from the University of Queensland with a dissertation entitled ‘Renewing Trade Unions in Australia: Restoring Worker Participation’.
Miles’ then six-year-old daughter Bridie stole the show at the 2021 coronavirus briefing, where she waited patiently before becoming bored and distracted.
Adorable footage from the briefing shows her yawning repeatedly and practicing some TikTok moves before eventually resorting to the classic floppy baby pose: flapping her arms.