Steve Miles was sworn in as the new premier of Queensland on December 15 and has sought to stamp his imprint on the government through a reshuffle.
Miles was elected unopposed and took over from Annastacia Palaszczuk, who, after an eight-year tenure, on December 10, announced her retirement from politics.
The new premier announced a cabinet reshuffle, which included five new faces: Nikki Boyd, Bart Mellish, Lance McCallum, Michael Healy and Charis ((Naoumi) Mullen.
Charis Mullen, the new minister for multicultural affairs, is of a Greek-Australian background. Mullen entered parliament as a member of Jordan in 2017, which is around 40 km west of Brisbane.
Before entering state parliament, Mullen worked in the public and private sectors, specialising in government affairs and public policy.
Her father, Leonidas Naoumis, is well-known in Brisbane and deeply involved in the city’s Greek Community and AHEPA. He is a broadcast journalist and producer in the state’s SBS Greek Radio program and has also contributed to Neos Kosmos.
Mullen said that the multicultural affairs portfolio is something she has always wanted.
Former premier Palaszczuk was the last of ‘COVID-19 premiers to retire along with Victoria’s Dan Andrews and WA’s Mark McGowan; Palaszczuk wore the mantle of authoritativeness and toughness in the fight against the global pandemic.
While Victoria and NSW had large outbreaks and deaths, with Victoria’s lockdowns totalling 276 days, Qld and WA were largely untouched by COVID-19. Palaszczuk took localism to an extraordinary height, most characterised by hard border closures, which negatively impacted Qld/NSW border communities.
A more detailed report about the new Greek minister and her general activities will follow.
