Minns sacks pro-Palestine MP for labelling Karen Webb a ‘liar’

Premier Chris Minns has sacked outspoken pro-Palestine MP Anthony D’Adam as a parliamentary secretary after he labelled Police Commissioner Karen Webb a “liar” over the behaviour of officers at pro-Palestinian protests.

In a statement, the premier said he had removed D’Adam from his role after he refused to withdraw the comments he made in parliament on Wednesday night.

Premier Chris Minns sacked Anthony D’Adam as parliamentary secretary for comments he made about Police Commissioner Karen Webb.Credit: Nick Moir

The upper house MP, who has been a frequent critic of both Israel and Australia’s response to the war in Gaza, had used a late-night speech to accuse the NSW Police of using “fear and intimidation as a means of obtaining compliance” against pro-Palestinian protesters in Sydney.

In the speech, D’Adam also labelled the war in Gaza a “genocide” and objected to the conduct of officers at the protests.

“The approach of the public order and riot squad at many Palestine protests makes a liar of the commissioner,” he said.

“It used fear and intimidation as a means of obtaining compliance. We will not be intimidated, especially when we are trying to stop a genocide.”

NSW Labor MLC Anthony D’Adam.

Minns has previously declined to sack D’Adam despite his outspoken stance on the conflict, saying he did not want to “make a martyr” out of the MP. D’Adam has previously said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was responsible for killing “thousands of innocent children” and criticised the Australian government’s approach to the conflict.

But after initially repeating that stance, on Thursday afternoon Minns said his criticisms of Webb had gone too far. He said he had asked D’Adam to withdraw the comments and he refused.

“Mr D’Adam did not raise his criticisms about NSW Police with me, the Police Minister or with NSW Police. The first we heard about it was his speech in parliament,” he said.

“Mr D’Adam’s comments do not represent the views of the NSW government.

“I have formed the view that his actions and criticisms of the NSW Police, without at any time speaking with colleagues to convey his concerns in relation to this matter, are incompatible with his position as Parliamentary Secretary.

“The NSW Police Force does an incredible and extremely difficult job and they have the full support of the NSW government.”

Opposition Leader Mark Speakman had earlier called on Minns to sack D’Adam over the comments.

In a statement released after his sacking, D’Adam said he was disappointed but held “no malice” towards the premier. He said he would remain part of the Labor caucus.

“My comments made in the house last night were not intended as a criticism of the government, but to raise concerns about the approach that has been taken by a particular unit within the NSW Police and the incompatibility of that approach with the stated values of the NSW Police,” he said.

“I reject the assertion that I have been critical of the commissioner. I acknowledge the often difficult work that police have to undertake. However, I believe I have a public duty to raise concerns in the forums available to me when I believe that the conduct of public institutions is inconsistent with the values that we as a community hold to be important.”

D’Adam said he maintained his criticisms of police, which were in response to a protest in March at which he said their response was “unnecessarily aggressive”.

Earlier, Minns labelled D’Adam’s comments about Webb as “reprehensible”.

“Being a NSW Police officer in the most difficult circumstances imaginable, particularly right now, is far harder than issuing a speech in the middle of the night [in parliament],” Minns said.

“I thought his comments were absolutely reprehensible. I completely disassociate myself from them and I want to make this point; we don’t want to make a martyr of anyone in this set of circumstances and I thought that the comments from the member were completely outrageous.”

Although not a member of the ministry, in NSW, parliamentary secretaries assist ministers and are entitled to additional salaries and benefits.

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