Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie’s explosive attack on Labor questioning Jimmy Sullivan’s absence

Jarrod Bleijie has launched a sensational attack on Labor, accusing the party of being “disingenuous” for its explanation behind MP Jimmy Sullivan’s 100-day parliamentary absence.

Jimmy Sullivan MP, Member for Stafford. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen/Courier Mail

The state government has demanded Labor explain why Stafford MP Jimmy Sullivan has been absent from parliament after police responded to a “domestic” incident at his residence the day after the October state election.

Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie, in a sensational attack on Labor, accused the party of being “disingenuous” after citing mental health reasons for Mr Sullivan’s 100-day absence from parliament.

“You may want to try and mess this issue or sweep it under the carpet, but there’s a difference between anyone suffering a mental health issue to reports of police being called to a domestic incident at a member of parliament’s house,” Mr Bleijie told parliament.

“And it is disingenuous for the Deputy Leader of the Opposition (Cameron Dick) to try and conflate and confuse the two.”

Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie. Picture: Patrick Woods.

Several Ministers demanded Opposition Leader Steven Miles, who removed himself from the chamber during the debate, detail the allegations made against Mr Sullivan in October and explain what he was doing as party leader to address concerns raised by female Labor MPs over Mr Sullivan.

“Does he (Mr Miles) know which of the female members of the Labor Party are uncomfortable with the member for Stafford sitting in this chamber and in the Labor Party caucus? Because if he does, he owes an explanation to those women,” Mr Bleijie said.

Mr Miles directed Mr Sullivan to take immediate leave after police responded to an incident at his Kedron family home on October 27.

No charges were laid.

Mr Sullivan attended court over the matter the following Thursday, however legal proceedings did not progress further.

A letter from Mr Sullivan’s lawyer, seen by The Courier-Mail, confirms his matter was dismissed after the applicant in question withdrew from legal proceedings.

Mr Sullivan has issued a statement following the parliament debate over the October incident at his residence which he labelled a “civil matter”.

“This morning the Crisafulli LNP Government used the protections of the chamber to make accusations about legal matters,” he said.

“I would like to clarify for members of the house that I have never been charged with any offence.

“The civil matters reported in late 2024 have been dismissed in their entirety.”

Mr Sullivan condemned the actions of the government and asked for privacy.

“As with my health matters, these issues are deeply personal, and I condemn the government for their actions today,” he said.

“For the decency and privacy of my family, I will not be making any further comments on this matter.”

Opposition Deputy Leader Cameron Dick defended Mr Sullivan’s parliamentary absence, saying he was dealing with mental health issues following the loss of a child.

“Very few of us have suffered the bereavement of a stillborn child,” he said.

“But the member for Stafford has lived with that burden, and it’s something he’s spoken in this house about … it’s only those people who have suffered that loss and bereavement who can understand the impact on that individual and that family.”

Jimmy Sullivan MP. Picture: Liam Kidston

Greenslopes MP Joe Kelly called the LNP’s move to raise the incident in parliament through a surprise motion a “baseless tactic” that brought disgrace to the parliament.

“It’s disgusting, disgraceful, you are all a disgrace to this parliament, and you should hang your heads in shame,” he said.

Mr Sullivan also briefly addressed the chamber to thank his supporters and request an apology from the LNP.

“This is not a test of (Labor) leadership, this is a test of decency and the lack of from those opposite,” he said.

“I’ve been working hard out in the community since my election.

“I thank my leadership team for giving me the time and space to address my health issues.”

Mr Miles said Mr Sullivan had fulfilled his obligations in addressing his “personal matters”.

“The Labor Caucus has welcomed the Member back to Parliament today, and will continue to support him in prioritising his health,” he said.

The explosive debate came after the government tabled their Safer Families, Safer Communities plan in parliament, initiating the rollout of 500 GPS trackers for high risk domestic violence perpetrators.

Prevention of Domestic and Family Violence Minister Amanda Camm said a “working group” of victim survivors was being formed to help advise her department on “where we need to prioritise the reforms for those gaps”.

Opposition spokeswoman for Women Shannon Fentiman questioned why the government surprised the House with a motion about addressing an important issue like domestic and family violence without first seeking bipartisan support.

“I am so proud of the former Labor government’s record when it comes to tackling violence against women,” she said, referring to Labor’s “historic law reform to keep women and children protected”.

“And I would have thought that the Minister could have reached out and said, ‘hey, we’re going to debate today a really important issue, an issue that is so important to the community, an issue that is confronting this entire country, because every week, two women are killed by a partner or a former partner, none of us are comfortable with that.”

“Every one of us wants to do more, so why come in here and play politics?”