Queensland's Labor leader has ruled out running former Liberal National Party MP Chris Davis against Premier Campbell Newman at the next election.
Annastacia Palaszczuk rejected the possible showdown, less than 24 hours after Dr Davis revealed he had had discussions with the ALP about taking on the premier in his seat of Ashgrove.
"Let me make it very clear - it will be a Labor member who runs in the seat of Ashgrove," she told reporters on Saturday.
"Chris Davis will not be the Labor candidate."
Dr Davis said he was not disappointed because he had only informally discussed the possibility with ALP state secretary Anthony Chisholm.
"So be it," he told AAP.
"I knew all along that of course the ALP had some strong people there (in Ashgrove) already and very particularly (former member) Kate Jones."
Ms Palaszczuk said it was up to Ms Jones, who has just had a baby, to decide whether she wanted to run.
She also said Dr Davis was welcome to apply for Labor membership, although party bosses would decide whether to accept him.
The disgruntled former MP, who quit parliament in May, said he wanted to run for Labor in Ashgrove because it neighboured his former Stafford electorate, but was open to being a candidate elsewhere.
Dr Davis said he would have further discussions with the party before deciding whether to apply for membership.
"I think that these days there's not much difference between a centre-right and a centre-left government," he said.
Mr Newman was not keen to discuss Dr Davis on Saturday and would not be drawn on whether it was a mistake to preselect him and disgraced former MP Scott Driscoll.
The resignation of Dr Davis, a former assistant health minister and director of geriatric medicine at Prince Charles Hospital, sparked a by-election in which the LNP suffered an 18.6 per cent swing against it.
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