Saunders denies defection talks in minister’s early morning grilling

Bruce Saunders has moved to assure Labor colleagues he would not defect to Katter’s Australian Party over the youth crime issue. VOTE IN OUR POLL

Bruce Saunders with then premier Annastacia Palaszczuk last year

Assistant minister Bruce Saunders has moved to assure Labor colleagues he would not defect to Katter’s Australian Party, amid revelations the MP was fed up with the government’s handling of youth crime.

His assurance to colleagues, including Youth Justice Minister Di Farmer, followed reports in The Sunday Mail that Mr Saunders had been in secret talks about defecting to the minor party in December.

Ms Farmer spoke with Mr Saunders to seek his assurance he would remain part of the Labor government after his December messages and phone calls with Katter MPs Nick Dametto and Robbie Katter were revealed on Sunday.

Mr Saunders denied he discussed the possibility of defecting, while Mr Dametto said the conversation was had in ­confidence and would remain ­private.

Ms Farmer said Mr Saunders, an assistant minister in the Miles government, had given her assurances he remained supportive of the government.

“Bruce Saunders has been in the Labor Party for 47 years … actually his family goes way back with the Katters,” Ms Farmer said.

“We all talk to the Katter party and so the idea that he would defect to another party, he is a staunch Labor kind of person. I think there’s just no substance to that.”

Mr Saunders called for his colleagues to get on with their job and work with Premier Steven Miles rather than cause problems.

LNP manager of opposition business Andrew Powell took aim at Mr Saunders for considering defecting.

“Even the Labor members of parliament are fed up with Labor’s soft-on-crime approach,” he said.

“The really disappointing aspect of that though, is that instead of standing up to their leadership, they’re choosing to desert their communities, to give up on their communities to jump ship and save their own skin.

“The Labor government had multiple opportunities this week in parliament to address our crime crisis … they could have addressed detention as a last resort in this last parliamentary week but they chose not to and all that does is embolden Labor MPs like Bruce Saunders to consider other alternatives.”

Mr Saunders did not seek a formal offer to join the minor party and one was not provided.