Why Peter Wellington can leave office with head held high

OPINION: Why Peter Wellington was no Labor Party stooge.

MEMBER for Nicklin Peter Wellington will leave office at the end of the current term in 12 months with his head high.

The Parliamentary Speaker has proven during a political career spanning back to 1998 that you can deliver and you can represent your community as an independent as effectively, if not considerable more so, than a politician tied to a party and all the strings attached with that.

Mr Wellington's career was not about building his own ego, or ensuring he retained office.

In many ways it was not a case of the more you saw the more you got. His advocacy on behalf of the community and individuals from across the state was often done without fanfare or recognition except by those whose lives had been improved for the better.

It may have suited the political purpose of some to paint him as a stooge of the Labor Party.

But that is a nonsense to suggest of someone whose voting record shows he backed the LNP on 917 occasions compared with 693 for Labor which is about what you would expect of a conservative independent.

Mr Wellington's advocacy on behalf of small business subcontractors left exposed in an industry where for some payment is optional, helped set the Palaszczuk Government on a path to long-needed reform.

It is a measure of the man, who reduced the cost of the Speaker's office by $200,000 that he understands where his priorities lie.

He will carry this community's best wishes when he steps aside to care for ageing parents.