Mackay MP Julieanne Gilbert calls for sacking of Whitsunday MP Amanda Camm

A Labor MP has explosively called for her neighbouring rival to be sacked, claiming she is ‘putting children at risk’ after praising the organisers of an event where underage youth were drinking. But the MP has hit back, describing it as ‘gutter politics’.

Deputy opposition leader Jarrod Bleijie has slammed Mackay MP Julieanne Gilbert’s call to sack Whitsunday MP Amanda Camm as “disgraceful”. Pictures: File

A Queensland MP has sensationally called for her neighbouring rival to be sacked, claiming she was “putting children at risk”.

Mackay MP Julieanne Gilbert made the inflammatory statement in parliament about Whitsunday MP Amanda Camm after an incident where youth were reportedly drinking alcohol at a sporting event.

But Whitsunday MP Amanda Camm has hit back blasting Mrs Gilbert for playing “grubby gutter politics”, calling for her to immediately apologise over misrepresenting a serious issue.

Mrs Gilbert said constituents were angry that Ms Camm had allegedly praised the event organisers instead of tackling underage drinking.

“Alcohol on young people can have devastating long term effects on their life,” she said.

“The Victims of Crime Assistance Bill is a very important bill, so I would call on the (LNP) member for Whitsunday to stand up for the children in her electorate.

“If she does not, I call on the opposition leader to sack her from her position because she is putting children at risk by not standing up for (them) … and (not) calling out behaviour which is unacceptable.”

Deputy Leader of the Opposition Jarrod Bleijie has come out swinging against Mackay MP Julieanne Gilbert over her comments in parliament calling for Whitsunday MP Amanda Camm to be sacked if she doesn’t start sticking up for children. Picture: Liam Kidston

Mrs Camm was not at the event and called the organisers decision an “error in judgment”.

When asked later if Mrs Gilbert believed Ms Camm should still be sacked she said as the opposition minister for child safety “she would know the impact of alcohol on young people”.

“She called it an error in judgment, she could outline all the reasons why this behaviour should not happen again and make sure that the children in her community are safe,” Mrs Gilbert said.

“It would have been a wonderful opportunity for her to be able to pass on the information that would be widely known to her.”

The Whitsunday MP has called for Mrs Gilbert to immediately apologise “misleading our community over this serious issue”.

“To attempt to play grubby gutter politics with an issue like this when I wasn’t even at the event proves she isn’t fit to represent our community any more,” Ms Camm said.

“Because Labor created the Queensland Youth Crime Crisis, Housing Crisis, Cost-of-living crisis and Health Crisis, lying is all the desperate Labor Member of Mackay has left in a sad attempt to save her own job.

Mackay MP Julieanne Gilbert had no qualms about criticising her neighbouring MP Amanda Camm before her peers in parliament. Picture: Heidi Petith

“Her feeble attempt to personally smear and blatantly misrepresent me while she should be focused on her own job and her own government’s failures is why the people of Mackay are looking forward to showing Labor the door in 2024.”

“My priority is doing everything we can to prevent the unnecessary deaths of children who are in the care of the Labor Government.

“Perhaps the Member for Mackay should be more focused on stopping children dying in her Government’s care.”

An LNP spokesman said Ms Gilbert “made highly defamatory claims that she is refusing to provide any proof for, won’t stand by and can clearly be disproven by the transcript from the actual meeting in question”.

“Ms Gilbert’s comments are deliberately misleading and she should be held accountable for misleading the community,” he said.

Deputy opposition leader Jarrod Bleijie, during a recent visit to Mackay, slammed Mrs Gilbert’s comment as “disgraceful”.

“(She) has now served in her third assistant minister role because she has failed in every position she’s gotten from the Palaszczuk Government,” Mr Bleijie said.

Deputy opposition leader Jarrod Bleijie visited Mackay on Tuesday, December 5, 2023, to criticise the Labor government’s approach to tackle crime rates. Picture: Fergus Gregg

Mr Bleijie said Mrs Gilbert had two faces, one for parliament and the other for her electorate, arguing she “should be held responsible for the crime crisis, not opposition MPs at sporting events”.

Mrs Gilbert in return said Mr Bleijie comments were “a bit rich” given he was “the worst Attorney-General Queensland ha(d) ever had”, further criticising his visit to Mackay where she said he did “not stand up for our children”.

Mr Bleijie used the trip as an opportunity to call for mandatory sentencing laws off the back of an almost three-fold increase in break-ins at Mackay businesses, according to new Queensland Police data.

Jarrod Bleijie said the Palaszczuk government’s programs to curb crime were “clearly” not working as he also pointed out a 40 per cent spike in stolen cars as well as a 23 per cent rise in theft across the Mackay and the Whitsundays over the past 12 months compared to the year prior.

Mr Bleijie’s views conflicted with those of Mrs Gilbert, who recently stated in parliament that Labor’s programs like Transition 2 Success were behind Mackay’s youth crime rate being “one of the lowest in the state”.