Resources for students and teachers
- What does the Premier do?
- What happens in an election?
- How does government work?
- Can I see or listen to Parliament in action?
- Help for teachers
What does the Premier do?
Finding out what our state Premier does is a good starting point for understanding how our government works.
The term 'Premier' refers to a leader. Whether it's a school or the state of Queensland, we need leaders to guide us.
Principals are our school leaders. It's their job to make sure a school timetable exists and that everyone sticks to it—without a timetable, schools would be chaotic!
The same applies to states. We need leaders to make plans and laws, look after the budget and run matters in our state.
In Queensland, we choose our leaders in a contest called an election. The leader of the political party that wins the election becomes the Premier. The Premier then leads the government—the group of politicians who have been elected by the people in their communities.
Together, the Premier and other members of the government run the state.
Mostly, the Premier's job involves making tough decisions about the issues that affect entire communities, often the entire state.
It also involves:
- leadership of the Parliament
- being the Chief Minister and Chair of Cabinet
- choosing Ministers and allocating portfolios
- representing their electorate
- portfolio responsibilities
- being the main channel of communication between
- the Governor and Cabinet
- the Queensland Government and other State and Territory Governments
- the Queensland Government and the Commonwealth Government, and overseas governments.
The Premier is also expected to have a vision for Queensland that addresses the big issues and includes plans for the state's continued prosperity.
The safety of our communities, health, education, climate change and natural disasters such as floods are just some of the issues that the Premier, with help from government Ministers, deals with every day.
For more information about the Premier and how government makes decisions, read the:
What happens in an election?
The Electoral Commission Queensland (ECQ) has information about Queensland's voting system and local, state and federal elections.
More information on how elections work.
How does government work?
To find out how governments are formed, how they make decisions and how you can participate, the Queensland Parliament has fact sheets for primary, high school and university students on a range of government-related topics.
Can I see or listen to Parliament in action?
You can visit Parliament House in Brisbane and, during sitting days members of the public can view their parliament at work from the Legislative Assembly Chamber public gallery.
You can also access live broadcasts of the Queensland Parliament online.
Resources for teachers
- fact sheets
- classroom activities suitable for all levels
- get involved in government through the Queensland Parliament’s Community Engagement Services.