Miles digs in, despite leadership grumblings, poor polling

Read the original at The Sydney Morning Herald ↗
The Sydney Morning Herald · collected 2026-10-14 · by Matt Dennien, William Davis

Quick Summary

Steven Miles, Queensland’s opposition leader, has stated he will not step down despite poor polling numbers and criticism from within his party. According to Resolve Political Monitor data published recently, only 24% of voters in marginal seats believe Miles is doing a good job, while Premier David Crisafulli enjoys a net positive rating even among Labor supporters. Shadow treasurer Shannon Fentiman has expressed confidence in Miles’s leadership and dismissed the idea of seeking a replacement.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-14, using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the same event (that is the story summary below).

AI analysis runs on qwen2.5:14b, locally

Story summary

As of October 14, 2026, Steven Miles remains Queensland's opposition leader despite poor polling that shows only 24% of voters in marginal seats think he is doing a good job. The Resolve Political Monitor data also revealed Premier David Crisafulli has a net positive rating among Labor and One Nation voters. Despite this, Miles insists his colleagues have not asked him to step down and claims he will continue holding the government accountable. He maintains that things are getting worse under the current administration and emphasizes that it is more than two years until the next election, stating there is much work ahead for the opposition party.

Written for “Miles Stands Firm” on 2026-10-14, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
This article does not take a side on a contested political question, so it has no leaning score. That is an answer rather than a gap: a match report or a rescue can be warmly or critically written without being left or right, and scoring it anyway is how approval of a subject gets recorded as a political position.
No political leaning scored for article 78592 · logged 2026-10-14

Story

📰 Miles Stands Firm
Politics · 1 article(s) covering the same event.

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Cite this article

Dennien, M., & Davis, W. (2026, October 14). Miles digs in, despite leadership grumblings, poor polling. The Sydney Morning Herald. https://www.smh.com.au/politics/queensland/miles-digs-in-despite-leadership-grumblings-poor-polling-20261014-p615ip.html?ref=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss_feed

Dated from the outlet's own feed. Check the original for its byline.

How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
18
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
6%
1 of 18 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
61/100
The Sydney Morning Herald's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
1
Politics
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-10-14 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

The Sydney Morning Herald · 3585 article(s) · 10 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 10 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Matt Dennien
13 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 “That’s what we are doing every day, and will continue to do every day … across every front, things are getting worse.”
🔮 But given the significance of the bill and the powers it will extend to the government and relevant departments, Labor MPs on the committee questioned why the departments’ directors-general were not the ones giving the briefing.
🔮 The next state election will be held in late October 2028.
🔮 Disaster Recovery Minister Ann Leahy said she had sent an open letter to the Albanese government last week signed by every mayor in the state, and other stakeholders.
🔮 “[This is] something that I have been working as attorney with the New South Wales Attorney-General Michael Daley on for several months, and the reason why I was so determined to support that application was because victims deserve … their time in court, and that’s what they will now get in New South Wales for that person.
2026-10-13 · assertive framing · Notorious childcare paedophile to face trial in NSW
🔮 On Monday’s agenda was a bill floated by the Crisafulli government last sitting week, which would make prisoners on life sentences jump through extra hoops to get parole.
🔮 A Victorian CFMEU insider and former industrial lawyer has made a rare public intervention to question whether Queensland’s powerful probe into the union and construction sector, and its looming Victorian counterpart, will deliver on their promised actions.
🔮 The public probe has returned for a second day of evidence this week surrounding the May 2023 incident, which resulted in what Commissioner Stuart Wood described as a “riot” at the Dutton Park Cross River Rail station site.
🔮 The inquiry released images of 15 of the men – some of them masked – back in April, seeking to speak with them to ensure “all relevant perspectives are heard” about the “confrontational protest” of May 1, 2024, which culminated in a police escort.
🔮 The latter, according to the Legal Profession Act which sets up the process, are only eligible if they have never been a lawyer and have “high level experience and knowledge” in fields including consumer protection, business, and public administration. And wouldn’t you know, two of the five tapped for that gig – revealed only with an update to a sprawling government appointment register – just happen to be former federal LNP MPs!
Also by Matt Dennien
Notorious childcare paedophile to face trial in NSW
2026-10-13 · The Sydney Morning Herald
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 13 articles by Matt Dennien →
William Davis
28 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 “That’s what we are doing every day, and will continue to do every day … across every front, things are getting worse.”
🔮 But given the significance of the bill and the powers it will extend to the government and relevant departments, Labor MPs on the committee questioned why the departments’ directors-general were not the ones giving the briefing.
🔮 Slipping property prices could reduce the number of new homes built in Brisbane, Queensland’s housing minister has warned, echoing his leader’s criticism of federal Labor’s tax changes in the May budget.
🔮 Up to 15 millimetres could fall on Tuesday as a trough approaches south-east Queensland, the Bureau of Meteorology believes, with wet weather likely to return later in the week.
🔮 When asked about next steps, he referred to his comments outside court on Thursday, where he had indicated Wood’s legal team would apply for bail in the Supreme Court.
🔮 The pair were not mother and daughter, police said, but officers could not confirm their relationship on Friday morning.
2026-10-08 · assertive framing · Woman and young girl found dead in SUV crashed into dam
🔮 Under-Treasurer Paul Williams was paid $810,000.
🔮 Up to 40 millimetres of rain could hit isolated areas on Tuesday, stretching from the NSW border north to the Fraser Coast city of Maryborough, according to the Bureau of Meteorology. “Some of those storms this afternoon and this evening are likely to be severe, with large hail, damaging winds and heavy rainfall,” senior meteorologist Dean Narramore said.
🔮 And so I’ve been really clear, my focus is entirely on what lies in front of me, and that’s where the energy roadmap is, and that’s where my focus will continue to be.”
🔮 “This offer will see pay rises, an advanced progression for new starters, a senior position review and lucrative retention payments for long-serving employees,” she said.
Also by William Davis
Rain, thunderstorms a chance in Brisbane after warm stretch
2026-10-12 · The Sydney Morning Herald
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 28 articles by William Davis →

Topics

LNP Labor One Nation Queensland Resolve Political Monitor

Subjects

Labor ORG · 7× Miles PERSON · 6× One Nation ORG · 4× Queensland GPE · 4× LNP ORG · 3× David Crisafulli PERSON · 2× Pauline Hanson PERSON · 2× Queenslanders NORP · 1× Shannon Fentiman PERSON · 1× Steven Miles PERSON · 1×

Narrative

On Monday, Miles said he was “absolutely” confident he would still head the party at Christmas, adding: “I’m not going anywhere.” The new polling from Resolve Political Monitor showed just 24 per cent of voters in marginal Queensland seats thought Miles was doing a good job, while Premier David Crisafulli had a net positive rating – even among Labor and One Nation voters. Primary vote support among the three top parties remained relatively steady, with the LNP ahead on 32 per cent, Labor on 24 per cent, and One Nation on 21 per cent.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-14
🔮 “That’s what we are doing every day, and will continue to do every day … across every front, things are getting worse.”
2026-10-14 · The Sydney Morning Herald
Miles digs in, despite leadership grumblings, poor polling · assertive framing

Claims (18 extracted, 1 hedged)

Steven Miles says none of his colleagues have asked him to consider stepping aside, despite new polling that shows fewer than a quarter of voters in marginal seats think he is doing a good job as Queensland’s opposition leader, and many Labor supporters are unsure about his performance. asserted
supporters → say → performance
The former premier spoke outside Parliament House on Wednesday after the exclusive Resolve Political Monitor data was published in this masthead. asserted
data → speak → masthead
“Look, the next election is more than two years away and we have a lot of work to do. asserted
we → look → work
,” he told reporters. asserted
he → tell → reporters
“We have an important job to hold this government to account … but also to make sure that Queenslanders are seeing and hearing just how bad this government is. asserted
government → hold → account
“That’s what we are doing every day, and will continue to do every day … across every front, things are getting worse.” asserted
things → ’ → front
Asked if colleagues or anyone in the labour movement had discussed with him the possibility that he might stand aside to allow a new leader to take over, he said “no”. uncertain
he → ask → possibility
Shadow treasurer and shadow minister for women Shannon Fentiman, herself considered a possible future Labor leader, said she was “absolutely” confident Miles remained the best person to serve as opposition leader, and she had not spoken to any colleagues about the possibility of a replacement. “That’s not a conversation we’re having. asserted
we → consider → replacement
We’re focused on holding the government to account,” she said. asserted
she → focus → account
The government used much of question time on Wednesday to lob sledges at Miles, tabling media coverage – including an article from this masthead – in which anonymous senior Labor figures aired frustrations about the leader’s performance. asserted
figures → use → performance
“I tell you right now, I believe killing season is coming in November,” LNP minister Steve Minnikin told the chamber. asserted
Minnikin → tell → chamber
On Monday, Miles said he was “absolutely” confident he would still head the party at Christmas, adding: “I’m not going anywhere.” The new polling from Resolve Political Monitor showed just 24 per cent of voters in marginal Queensland seats thought Miles was doing a good job, while Premier David Crisafulli had a net positive rating – even among Labor and One Nation voters. Primary vote support among the three top parties remained relatively steady, with the LNP ahead on 32 per cent, Labor on 24 per cent, and One Nation on 21 per cent. asserted
support → say → cent
Almost 40 per cent of Labor voters did not describe Miles’ performance as good, 15 per cent said he was doing a poor job, and 24 per cent were undecided. asserted
cent → describe → job
Just 24 per cent said he was doing a good job, compared with Crisafulli’s 45 per cent. asserted
he → say → cent
Not for the first time, One Nation narrowly outperformed Labor on the primary vote among women. asserted
Nation → outperform → women
“I think it just shows that we have more work to do to remind the women of Queensland about some of One Nation’s policies when it comes to their healthcare,” Fentiman added. asserted
Fentiman → think → healthcare
“I think a lot of women probably don’t know that Pauline Hanson doesn’t support women accessing abortion here in Queensland, that she thinks domestic violence is a two-way street, that she doesn’t think women should have access to affordable childcare. asserted
women → think → childcare
“We know so many women are bearing the brunt of the cost of living … they are hurting, and that is why we have a job to do to make sure they understand that David Crisafulli and the LNP has made things worse for them, and certainly Pauline Hanson and One Nation will too. asserted
Hanson → know → them
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