Do we like David Crisafulli?
Our score: 4 out of 10. No harmful words of his own turned up, but his government's decisions on trans youth care and the truth-telling inquiry weigh against him, and the good is thinly sourced.
Crisafulli is a North Queenslander through and through. He was born in Ingham to Italian migrant parents who run a sugarcane farm, was schooled by Catholics, and started out as a journalist before politics. He credits the farm and the newsroom for his discipline.
His first run in government, under Campbell Newman, ended in a bitter exit from parliament in 2015. He came back, and in October 2024 led the LNP to its first majority win since 2012. The Conversation noted he avoided being pinned down on conservative issues, while shifting the party right where he could claim to be following public opinion.
The first big stoush was over Indigenous policy. Within weeks of winning, his government rushed through laws scrapping the Path to Treaty process and the Truth-telling and Healing Inquiry. He said it had been promised before the election and that the money would go to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander outcomes. Critics, including Opposition Leader Steven Miles, said it showed no dignity or respect, and the inquiry's chair said he heard of it by email.
On our harm test, the clearest mark is trans youth healthcare. In October 2025 a Supreme Court judge ruled that officials hadn't properly consulted before the January ban on puberty blockers for new under-18 patients, and Health Minister Tim Nicholls reissued the restriction the same day. A legal service solicitor said it undermines access to medical care available in every other state. The government released its review advice in December 2025. I found no words of Crisafulli's own on trans people, so this is his government's act, not a quote from him.
The recent story is an integrity one. In May 2026 the Australian Electoral Commission referred Mander's enrolment to the AFP over his registered address, and Crisafulli said he only got a note about it in a budget meeting. He called the AFP process fair and reasonable, Mander stood aside, and Mander denies wrongdoing. A separate watchdog referral concerns an undeclared relationship with a cabinet colleague and possible conflicts of interest.
On the good side of the ledger, what I could verify is modest. He backed Labor's cheaper public transport commitments, promised stamp duty relief for first-home builders, and said he supports a woman's right to choose, though he hasn't ruled out a conscience vote. He also promised to resign if he can't cut crime fast, which is a rare thing for a politician to put his own head on the block for.