For a 20-year parliamentary veteran, that might surprise some people. But Miller, forced to resign from Cabinet in 2015 over integrity issues, has lost the confidence of many colleagues and now feels ostracised. Her loyalty is questioned, given Miller’s willingness to criticise Labor and embrace One Nation types despite being a Left faction member.

Bundamba is a safe seat and, for Miller, it may be the safest place to be when the Labor Caucus meets today and parliament resumes tomorrow, for the coal-miner’s daughter has again put a torch to her own side of politics.

In a pre-recorded interview with the ABC’s Rebecca Levingston, aired on radio this morning, Miller managed to inflame most issues currently troubling the Palaszczuk Government.

She accused Labor of having double standards on misconduct and corruption issues, and a self-serving approach to transparency, and said Opposition MP Jann Stuckey’s reference to bullies in the Liberal National Party could be applied to Labor as well.

Asked whether the integrity issues that surrounded Deputy Premier Jackie Trad last year would make it harder for Labor to be re-elected, Miller replied: “Trad is a four-letter word isn’t it? Maybe I should leave it at that.”

Describing herself as the last of the traditional, old-school Labor MPs, Miller said she had resisted pressure to give up her seat.

“The Queensland parliament can be the loneliest place in the world,” she said.

“They make it very clear whether you are part of the Labor Party or not.”

Miller said she had also refused to have her parliamentary speeches vetted by ministers.

“I was not going to have some pimply-faced 20-year-old in a ministerial office go through whatever I was to say,” she said.

“If I want to say something, I say it locally, direct to our people, or I just go public.”

While Miller complained of rarely speaking to Annastacia Palaszczuk, the Premier and several ministers joined the local MP in Ipswich today to inspect work on a production building for Rheinmetall’s $170 million Military Vehicle of Excellence project.

Asked about Miller’s reference to Trad, the Premier said: “I don’t think MPs should be speaking about other MPs like that”.

Downplaying tensions within the party, Palaszczuk said she expected a “very calm meeting” of Labor MPs and to continue working with Trad as her deputy.

Palaszczuk had a message for those MPs who had been speaking out: “Get focused on your job and not worrying about everyone else’s jobs”.

On the ABC earlier, Miller pointedly declined to clarify her future plans, and whether she might seek re-election or, alternatively, run for Ipswich mayor and spark a by-election.

Asked why she would not simply run as an Independent, Miller laughed and replied “what, for state or local?”

“After 20 years you have to work out what your future is,” she said.

“I’m 62 now, I certainly don’t want to die in the job.”

Nominations for council candidates close on March 3.