Former Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has cancelled multiple appearances on her national book tour after her long-term partner Reza Adib was charged with rape and deprivation of liberty. Two upcoming events promoting her memoir The Politics of Being Me have now been called off.
A Fraser Coast Libraries appearance due to be held at the Brolga Theatre in Maryborough on Thursday has been listed as “postponed” on the official event page. An Australian National University (ANU) “Meet the Author” event scheduled for May 13 at Canberra’s Kambri Cultural Centre has also been cancelled “due to unforeseen circumstances”.
The cancellations follow charges laid against her boyfriend Adib, 65, who has been in a relationship with Palaszczuk since 2021. The Brisbane-based surgeon Dr Reza attended Southport Police Station with his lawyer on Friday and was charged with three counts of rape, two counts of deprivation of liberty and one count of sexual assault after his Gold Coast apartment was raided.
Police allege he sexually assaulted a woman in her 30s at a Goodwin Tce residence at Burleigh Heads on March 30, understood to be an apartment he shared with the former premier. He was granted bail and is due to appear before Southport Magistrates Court on May 14.
In a statement issued through his lawyer Dan Rogers, Adib said he was “shocked about the allegations made about him and is taking the matter very seriously”. “Like all persons accused of a crime, he is presumed to be innocent and intends to vigorously defend the charges,” the statement said.
Police, including forensic specialists, raided the Burleigh Heads apartment the day before charges were laid, with officers removing items from the luxury beachfront unit in the Norfolk building. Authorities have stressed Palaszczuk is not believed to be involved in the matter.
Just hours after the raid, the former premier returned to the Gold Coast from Sydney, where she had been conducting television interviews promoting her memoir after its April 28 release. She later attended a scheduled launch event at Robina Library on Thursday evening.
Asked during the event whether she would continue to support Adib despite the charges, Palaszczuk replied: “Well, I’m not aware of any of that, so I can’t comment.” Several other tour appearances, including a Melbourne event at Readings State Library scheduled for Monday, May 18 at 6.30pm, remain publicly listed online as of Wednesday midday, although it remains unclear whether further cancellations are expected. Palaszczuk’s publicist Max Markson was contacted for comment regarding the status of the remaining tour dates.
