Queensland's political leaders are visiting the region where a possible by-election could determine the fate of the Labor minority government.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has moved against Cook MP Billy Gordon for failing to disclose his criminal history, allegations of domestic violence and not paying child support.
Mr Gordon quit the Labor party before he could be formally expelled on Monday, rubbing out the government's one seat majority.
The premier also wants him to quit parliament so a by-election can be held in his far northern electorate.
Yes, that's clearly where Noel Pearson is going. Billy's only fallen foul of the Labor Party's disclosure rules in his view.Can't wait for Billy Gordon to play the "race" card on this one ....
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-03-...s-should-decide-mp-billy-gordons-fate/6360502
Yes, that's clearly where Noel Pearson is going. Billy's only fallen foul of the Labor Party's disclosure rules in his view.
A note for the ABC host in that interview with Noel Pearson,
Billy Gordon didn't leave the Labor party. He was expelled.
The solution to this and future damaging controversies would be mandatory police checks on election candidates, with the results available to electors. It is clear from the Gordon case that the candidate will not always volunteer the information.
It’s the question of trust which is important here, not the shadows of past indiscretions. The most pertinent criticism of Mr Gordon is not based on his brushes with the law dating back to 1987 when he was a youngster, but his refusal to submit a full list to his party leader or his voters. It appears he was hiding parts of his life.
Past medical conditions are important in assessing people for some jobs; previous ethical positions should be identifiable in politics.
Workers in the finance industry can be required to undergo a check every time they change an aspect of their business, and public servants in sensitive areas have to undergo more scrutiny than most
Gee ... these reporters must be reading ASF?
http://www.news.com.au/national/pol...go-police-checks/story-fns0jze1-1227286497957
Words fail me ... read all about it here first in ASF before the pressers get hold of it.
Speaker Peter Wellington this afternoon tabled advice from the Clerk of Parliament regarding whether Mr Gordon could continue on as an MP, following revelations about previous criminal convictions and allegations of domestic violence which have been referred to police.
The clerk advised the failure to lodge tax returns or pay child support in a timely manner did not disqualify Mr Gordon from being an MP.
His previous convictions also did not disqualify him as they did not occur within two years of his candidacy and also require a prison sentence of more than one year.
He said there was no lawful obligation for Mr Gordon to disclose matters relating to his criminal history.
“The ground for disqualification does not appear to be an issue in the context of Mr Gordon,” he wrote.
The pilot of former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's ministerial jet has confirmed the existence of a long-rumoured napkin used to sketch out the first iteration of the national broadband network, today listing the used serviette for sale.
Rumours have long circulated that the first version of the $37.4 billion national broadband network was laid out by former Communications Minister Stephen Conroy to Rudd on the back of a table napkin during a prime ministerial flight in 2009.
Evidence for the tale has, until now, been thin on the ground.
But a new listing on global ecommerce site eBay - made without fanfare - reveals for the first time that the rumours were, in fact, true.
iTnews can confirm the legitimacy of the napkin, which has been kept for six years by a former pilot for Rudd's ministerial jet.
The pilot has requested to remain anonymous for privacy reasons.
One possibility is that Labor could support new tax arrangements for high-end super fund accounts in exchange for a commitment from the government to recommence the staged progress toward a 12 per cent compulsory employer-funded superannuation goal, which has been paused by the government
Labor still prefers wealth redistribution over balancing the budget,
http://www.smh.com.au/federal-polit...concessions-for-the-rich-20150401-1md29e.html
Labor still prefers wealth redistribution over balancing the budget,
http://www.smh.com.au/federal-polit...concessions-for-the-rich-20150401-1md29e.html
On matters Fairfax, they're reporting that Guardian columnist David Marr will be doing a quarterly essay on Bill Shorten,
.After WW11 we brought in thousands if immigrants from England and Europe without all this dissension that is taking place now.....Even the Vietnamese people assimilated into the community....So why should we tolerate the way Islam is taking a hold on this country as well as other Western countries?
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?