昆士兰州总理David Crisafulli与自然资源与矿产总监Graham Fraine建立了直接工作关系，绕过了矿产组合部长Dale Last。[1]根据日程记录，Crisafulli与Fraine单独会面3次，三人共同会面12次。[1]政府对此否认不当，声明表示"我们绝对一起工作以为昆士兰人提供更好的成果"。[1]
州政府同时任命David Mackie为州发展部首席，从8月17日起正式领导该部门，年薪超过70万澳元。[1]此次任命采用内部任用的做法，政府称这一做法可节省数万澳元。[1]然而，2024年《Fitzgerald Inquiry》报告曾建议所有总监任命应通过外部、透明、择优的招聘流程进行。[1]
在劳资关系方面，政府与13个工会的Core Agreement谈判陷入困境。[1]Together Queensland工会于7月31日拒绝了政府6月30日提出的协议。[1]政府估计，2026-27财年因4.75%工资增幅产生的成本将达9300万澳元。[1]
Queensland Premier David Crisafulli has developed a direct working relationship with Natural Resources and Minerals Director-General Graham Fraine, circumventing Minerals Portfolio Minister Dale Last in the process.[1] According to scheduling records, Crisafulli met with Fraine alone on three occasions, while the three officials convened together twelve times.[1]
The government has denied that Crisafulli is sidestepping Last's authority, stating that "we absolutely work together to deliver better outcomes for Queenslanders."[1] In a separate staffing move, the government appointed David Mackie as the new head of the Department of State Development, effective August 17, with an annual salary exceeding 700,000 Australian dollars.[1] The administration has justified the internal appointment on cost grounds, asserting that recruiting internally saves tens of thousands of dollars compared to external recruitment processes.[1] However, this approach conflicts with recommendations from the 2024 Fitzgerald Inquiry report, which advised that all director-general appointments should proceed through external, transparent, and merit-based recruitment processes.[1]
Concurrent with these administrative changes, negotiations between the government and thirteen unions over a Core Agreement have stalled.[1] The Together Queensland union rejected a government proposal on July 31 that had been formally submitted on June 30.[1] The impasse centres on wage growth and associated costs, with the government estimating that a 4.75 percent wage increase would cost 93 million Australian dollars in the 2026-27 financial year alone.[1]