Back in Australia, she attended Lourdes Hill College in Brisbane and her parents became local small business owners, operating a fruit shop in Woolloongabba.

[10][11] On 29 April 2012, Opposition Leader Annastacia Palaszczuk appointed Trad as Shadow Minister for Transport and Main Roads, Environment and Heritage Protection, Small Business, Consumer Affairs and the Arts.

[16] Following changes to the Palaszczuk Ministry in December 2015, which included expanding its size from 14 to 17, the transport portfolio was transferred to new minister Stirling Hinchliffe.

[17] Following Mr Hinchliffe's resignation as Minister for Transport in February 2017, Trad regained the portfolio and held it until the Second Palaszczuk Ministry was sworn in on 12 December 2017.

The Statewide Landcover and Tree Study (SLATS) report showed 296,324 hectares was cleared in 2013–14, a threefold increase on 2009–10 and the highest level since 2006.

[21] Trad called the proposed legislation "nation-leading" and one of the Palaszczuk Government's key commitments for protecting the Great Barrier Reef.

The Palaszczuk Government referred the issue to the Queensland Law Reform Commission and pledged to introduce its own bill to decriminalise abortion in the next term of parliament.

[34] The Crime and Corruption Commission’s December 2015 report regarding transparency and accountability in local government was noted as a major catalyst for the bill’s introduction.

[35] A number of reforms to local government elections resulted, including ‘real-time’ political donation disclosures (in line with reforms to state elections introduced by the Palaszczuk Government), setting the candidate and third-party election disclosure donation threshold at $500 to align with a councillor's register of interest gift disclosures threshold, and a requirement that all unspent campaign donations are either to be held for future campaign expenditure, returned to the relevant political party or transferred to a registered charity.

[36] On 12 December 2017, Trad was sworn in as Deputy Premier, Treasurer and Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships in the Second Palaszczuk Ministry.

Official budget papers unveiled a $1.512 billion surplus in 2017–18 – more than three times the forecast in the Mid Year Fiscal and Economic Review in December 2017.

[42][43] The Progressive Rehabilitation and Closure Plan requirements commenced on 1 November 2019 and have been integrated into the existing environmental authority processes for new mines.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk removed Trad from all dealings with Brisbane's Cross River Rail project in the wake of controversy that emerged surrounding an investment property.

The location was within proximity of the proposed Boggo Road station in the $5.4 billion Cross River Rail Project for which Trad had ministerial responsibility.

[53][54] On 9 May 2020, the Crime and Corruption Commission launched an investigation into Trad's potential misuse of power in the selection of a principal of a newly constructed school in her electorate.

The CCC investigation cleared Trad in July that year, stating that "there is no prima facie case that the Deputy Premier has committed a criminal offence or that she was motivated by any dishonest or corrupt intent".

[58] Trad later said to reporters that she felt vindicated by the CCC's findings,[59] and that referrals by the LNP opposition to the corruption watchdog were politically motivated.