Arabic version: وفاة مفوض شرطة كوينزلاند السابق ستيف غولشيفسكي عن 67 عاماً
According to ABC News, former Queensland Police Commissioner Steve Gollschewski has died aged 67. His family said he died “surrounded by the love and admiration of his family”. Premier David Crisafulli and Police Minister Dan Purdie paid tribute, with Mr Crisafulli extending condolences to Mr Gollschewski’s family and friends on behalf of Queensland.
Mr Gollschewski joined the Queensland Police Force in 1980 and retired in February 2026 after a 46-year career. Until his retirement, he was the state’s most experienced officer, with only two people having served on the frontline for longer. He worked across organised crime, intelligence, anti-corruption and counterterrorism before becoming Queensland’s 21st police commissioner in April 2024.
As state disaster coordinator, he led policing responses to the 2011 Toowoomba and Lockyer Valley floods, the 2012 evacuation of St George, cyclones including Oswald, Ita, Marcia, Nathan and Debbie, the 2019 Peregian Beach bushfires, and severe flooding in southern Queensland in early 2022. He also commanded Operational Sentinel, the security operation for the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Mr Gollschewski oversaw airport and border security and hotel quarantine, becoming a familiar figure through daily media appearances. Former Queensland Police Service commissioner Bob Atkinson said he handled the pandemic in a “sensible, calm, and very reliable way”. Mr Gollschewski later described domestic and family violence policing reforms as his “toughest challenge yet”.
Ten months into his five-year term as commissioner, Mr Gollschewski was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer that had spread to his liver, bones and brain. He took leave in February 2025, returned to full duties by September after treatment, and retired the following February to focus on his health and family. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia in August 2026 and is survived by his wife and five children.
