Kylie Lang: Les Walker writes the book on incompetence
Queensland MP Les Walker deserves to be sacked over his latest blunder in which he insulted police officers, but don’t hold your breath waiting for the Premier to take action, writes Kylie Lang.
Kylie Lang
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How is Labor MP Les Walker still in a job? Oh, that’s right, his latest blunder happened three weeks ago so his boss thinks it’s irrelevant, trotting out her all-too-familiar line of “nothing to see here, folks”.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk should stop trying to placate the public – and in this case, the long-suffering police force – and sack Walker.
He has shown himself to be prone to idiotic behaviour, more than once.
Is there no one else in the Mundingburra electorate who could replace him? Or does the Premier not care to send any of her overpaid minions out to look?
One Courier-Mail reader believes her Australian terrier would do a better job.
“Will work for snacks. Will work from 5.30am until 20.45pm every day,” she wrote.
“Likes long walks around the neighbourhood and meeting new people … Shows unconditional love and respect. Not a lapdog. Does Ozzie have your support to replace this tool?”
Readers said yes, absolutely, and I don’t blame them.
Walker’s recent gumby move beggars belief.
He left a book titled Forensics for Dummies as a gift at a National Police Remembrance Day service honouring fallen officers.
When the offensive “tribute” was exposed – with police officers telling The Courier-Mail they were “p---ed off”, appalled and angered by what happened at the Townsville service on September 29 – Walker blamed his staff.
Of course he did.
He’s learnt from the best on how to refuse to take responsibility. This is Palaszczuk’s strong suit: deflect, deflect, deflect.
Walker maintains he was unaware what the book was about when he left it at the service.
“The staff buy all the books in bulk in my office for all sorts of remembrance days and events for schools,” he told this newspaper.
“They select the two books, wrap them, they hand them to me to go to the events and I present books at all of my events because they go into school libraries.”
The Forensics for Dummies book had been wrapped in brown paper with a blue ribbon, he said.
How sweet, blue being the colour of the force and all.
Asked why he did not ask his staff about the book before he presented it at the service, Walker said: “I trust my staff to purchase the books that are appropriate for all events”.
Perhaps Walker’s staff don’t like him much. Or maybe they don’t care, or understand the difference between what is appropriate and what is in extremely
bad taste.
Cluelessness is no defence for disrespect.
Walker said the selection of the book by his staff was not intentional, describing them as “very professional”.
He also said the book was not a reference to the ongoing Commission of Inquiry into forensic DNA testing.
Hmmm.
After the incident, which Police Union boss Ian Leavers has accurately described as bizarre and “idiotic”, Walker apparently called acting deputy commissioner Mark Wheeler to apologise, as well as the acting assistant commissioner and acting deputy superintendent.
The Premier, meanwhile, this week wondered what all the fuss was about, saying the incident happened almost a month ago.
So did the DNA testing debacle, the horrific lack of care for women in Mackay Base Hospital’s obstetrics and gynaecology unit, and malpractice causing at least one death at Caboolture Hospital.
I could go on, and on.
But Palaszczuk said Walker did the right thing by apologising.
Like that should be the end of it.
Walker has form.
In January last year, he was fined $800 for public nuisance and banned from the Townsville Safe Night Precinct for 10 days after he was knocked unconscious
in a fight at the Mad Cow Tavern.
He was also acquitted of assault charges over a separate incident in November 2021.
When asked on Wednesday why he should continue as a member of parliament – a most reasonable question – Walker replied: “I’m very good at what I do”.
Delusion and deflection are hallmarks of the Palaszczuk administration.
So don’t expect his boss to turf him out.
That will fall to voters – and the 2024 state election can’t come quickly enough.
LOVE
The exhibition Floating Bits at Maude Street Gallery in Newstead. Brothers Ian and Erick Regnard shot the collection underwater on Polaroid 4×5 large format film on Niue, a Pacific Island east of Tonga. See it until November 12.
Howard Smith Wharves’ quest to be a world leader in sustainability.The riverfront dining precinct diverts most of its waste away from landfill and now it’s recycling oyster shells and feeding spent grain from Felons Brewing Co to farm animals.
LOATHE
More spin from Queensland Health, with the new satellite hospitals mooted to relieve our drastically stretched system not really hospitals at all. They are medical centres with limitations on emergency care.
A surge in cases of deadly meningococcal. It’s being attributed to damage to the throat caused by the influenza virus, which allows the meningococcus bacteria to invade. Getting vaccinated – against all known strains of meningococcal – is the safest course of action.
Kylie Lang is Associate Editor of The Courier-Mail
kylie.lang@news.com.au
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