C-bombs and warrior ways: can Labor attack dog Steven Miles learn new tricks as Queensland premier?

It was the first month of a newly elected Labor government in 2015, and the newly elected member for Mount Coot-tha stood up to make his first speech.

A typical maiden speech might provide some background about a new MP’s family and professional life, outline a key policy priority or philosophical perspective, thank volunteers and end with a joke.

Instead, Steven Miles got right down to business – belting up the opposition.

“The previous government’s war on doctors and the ongoing attacks on our health system motivated thousands of health professionals and our community to work together to elect a government that put patient safety first,” he thundered.

So partisan were Miles’ first words recorded in Queensland parliament, that the LNP opposition broke centuries of convention and heckled him.

Miles gave just as good back as he got – and he’s never stopped.

The happy warrior was born.

On Tuesday, nearly nine years since Miles entered parliament, his ascension to become Queensland’s 40th premier was confirmed after his only challenger for the top job, Shannon Fentiman, withdrew her candidacy. The 46-year-old will be voted the successor to Annastacia Palaszczuk unopposed at a meeting of Labor caucus on Friday.

For years, Miles – who has served in a range of roles including environment, health and infrastructure minister – has been best known for his role as the government’s attack dog. That escalated after he was appointed deputy premier in 2020, replacing another head kicker, Jackie Trad.

Most famously, Miles was once caught up in a media storm over claims he called then prime minister Scott Morrison a “cunt” at a Labor Day rally. Miles claims the use of the C-bomb was an accident as he stumbled over his words during the speech.

When the NSW government sent an invoice to Queensland for hotel quarantine costs, Miles posted a video to his Facebook page of him ripping it up.

Last year, when the government found itself under political pressure after a magistrate released children being held in the Townsville watch house, Miles stepped in and attacked the courts, claiming the safety of people was being “held to ransom by rogue courts and rogue justices”. The comments were labelled “disgraceful and gutless” – but they also portrayed the desired message that the government would be tough on crime.

In recent months, Miles has noticeably attempted to reframe his image, to be seen more like a premier in waiting. When Palaszczuk was being criticised for holidaying in Italy in August, Miles went about his job as acting premier like a man on the campaign trail, cuddling a koala for the cameras and referencing his annual stays at a Sunshine Coast caravan park.

A former union official – Dr Miles wrote his PhD thesis on trade union membership renewal – he is a committed member of Labor’s left faction.

Miles is a fitness fanatic, like his opponent in the race for premier, and he’s seen as determined and dedicated.

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However, there remains some lingering doubts among Labor MPs about his ability to arrest the party’s poor polling, particularly in regional Queensland.

One view is that Miles “has a bit of Paul Keating about him”, a positive when Labor finds itself needing a more aggressive posture against the LNP.

Another is that Miles represents a risk, and likely electoral defeat. An MP from the Labor right – the faction that swung behind Miles and cemented his ascent to premier on Monday night – said earlier that day that the choice was “between someone who probably has the numbers, and two people (Cameron Dick and Shannon Fentiman) who could win”.

There’s also the concern that, after the government’s nine years in office, voters are looking for something new. Paluszczuk said herself it was time for “renewal”, but then endorsed the deputy who’s been right by her side.

Miles and his deputy, Dick, are already seeking to forge a new path, overturning a decision to keep Olympics infrastructure planning in-house in favour of establishing an independent authority for the job.

They signalled service delivery, particularly in housing, health, education and crime reduction, as major priorities for the new government.

“What I intend to demonstrate to Queenslanders between now and then is just what kind of premier I would be: absolutely focused on them, their safety, their cost of living, and the issues that are important to them,” Miles said on Tuesday.

They were similar ideals to those espoused in his first speech in parliament, where he pointed out politics is about more than grand ideas.

“Queenslanders want and deserve a government that is responsive to the people – that listens, consults, acts with reason, has a positive plan for the future and, above all, is respectful.”