Ms Palaszczuk becomes Australia’s longest-serving sitting premier after Mr Andrews announced he would step down on Wednesday after almost nine years in the role.

He called it quits a surprise media conference on Tuesday, saying it was “time to go and to give this privilege, this amazing responsibility, to someone else”.

“It requires 100 per cent from you and your family, that of course is time-limited and now is the time to step away,” he said.

Mr Andrews first led the party to victory at the November 2014 election, a couple of months before Ms Palaszczuk led Labor back to office in the Sunshine State.

Ms Palaszczuk wished Mr Andrews well and said she “very much enjoyed” working with him.

“But as you know these are very heavy jobs, they require your full attention and I wish him all the very best,” she told reporters in Cairns.

Ms Palaszczuk, whose own future has faced renewed speculation in recent weeks, refused to be drawn on any comparisons with her long-serving counterpart, saying Mr Andrews’ departure was “a matter for him”.

The premier said she loved her job and the state, and remained “absolutely committed”.

“I’m determined that Queensland’s best days are ahead of us and there’s a lot more I want to do.”

Asked whether the party had asked her to stay on, she said: “Absolutely.”

The premier’s comments come two weeks after she moved to hose down leadership speculation that raged while she spent a fortnight on an overseas holiday.

Ms Palaszczuk said she was determined to lead Labor to the 2024 election following reports of discontent among MPs and a string of negative polls.

She has been Labor leader since 2012 and premier since 2015, leading the party to three election victories. The premier is on track to pass Peter Beattie’s record as Queensland’s longest-serving postwar Labor premier in May 2024.

Ms Palaszczuk and ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr are the only Australian leaders to have held office since national cabinet was formed in March 2020 to help drive Australia’s COVID-19 response.