Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd says developments in the leadership of the Liberal National Party (LNP) in his home state are just "downright weird".
Brisbane Lord Mayor Campbell Newman on Tuesday declared his intention to challenge for the leadership of the Queensland LNP once he has secured pre-selection in the Labor-held seat of Ashgrove for the next state election.
John-Paul Langbroek subsequently stepped down from the party's leadership, along with deputy Lawrence Springborg.
Veteran MP and former leader Jeff Seeney is the interim opposition leader, with Tim Nicholls his deputy.
Although Mr Newman will lead the LNP's election team and chair party-room meetings in his role, he cannot lead the parliamentary team while he is not an MP.
The dual leadership team would see an unelected man calling the shots over democratically-elected MPs.
Queenslander Mr Rudd - presenting the 2011 Wallace Brown Young Achiever Award for Press Gallery Journalism in Canberra on Wednesday - described the move as "quite extraordinary stuff".
"You have a leader of the opposition in the parliament who says he's not really the leader of the opposition. There's a leader of the opposition outside of parliament who says he is," Mr Rudd mused.
"That leader of the opposition outside of the parliament has not been preselected for the parliament, or elected by the parliament, and he says it doesn't really matter."
Mr Rudd said he agreed with former prime minister Sir Robert Menzies when he said Queensland was different.
"But this is not just different, it's downright weird."
Mr Rudd presented the Wallace Brown award to Sky News's Ashleigh Gillon, while Australian Associated Press' Peter Veness was runner-up.
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