The promotion of Mr Guy,46,comes as Mr O'Brien attempts to revive the fortunes of the state opposition which has lagged in public polling during the pandemic and been troubled by internal squabbling.
Mr O'Brien said Mr Guy had been"missed"and the former leader said he would target the state goverment's economic management and forecast high unemployment in a bid to wrest momentum away from the Premier. Leaders in the party believe the fortunes of the Coaltion will rest on whether it can shift public perceptions on Labor's handling of the pandemic-induced economic downturn.
"It's a real honour,"Mr Guy said as he stood alongside Mr O'Brien.
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"I'm very grateful for Michael's support and very grateful for the opportunity to commit to the party and to help the party and to help our approach to the next election."
Mr Guy said it was"astounding"the government had not announced how it would pay down the record $155 billion net debt it projects to incur in the next three years. He said taxes would need to rise in order to repay the borrowings,which the government has previously said it would not do.
"When Labor runs out of money,they come after yours,"he said.