Laming pushes Redland MP for apology

Bowman MP Andrew Laming has continued his mission to clear his name, telling a Redland MP to ‘put up or move on’ after harassment claims.

Bowman MP Andrew Laming has continued his mission to clear his name.

The LNP’s Mr Laming challenged Redland MP Kim Richards, to “put up or move on”, three months after she told state parliament she felt she had been harassed by her federal counterpart.

In May, Ms Richards told state parliament she felt she had been harassed by Mr Laming, after she claimed he hid in a bush to take photos of her in a local park.

Mr Laming fired back after her speech in parliament, issuing her with a 14-day ultimatum to lodge a formal complaint about her claims.

Redlands MP Kim Richards and Bowman MP Andrew Laming.

Ms Richards, a Labor Party politician, said she had been the subject of a character assassination by Mr Laming and called on the LNP to live up to its promises of condemning the harassment and assault of women.

Mr Laming denied the claims and provided a two-week deadline, from May 14, for Ms Richards to lodge any of her concerns.

Mr Laming said Ms Richards had not responded.

It follows written apologies from Labor MP for Capalaba Don Brown and ALP Senator Murray Watt over their claims in March about Mr Laming.

Ms Richards was contacted for a response.

“Now is the time to either back up her attacks, or retract and apologise for overreacting,” Mr Laming said.

Mr Laming said Ms Richards was reported to Queensland Police for allegedly being in the passenger seat of a car when photographs were taken of the home of Redland City councillor.

That incident resulted in a councillor removing political signs from his front yard.

Mr Laming’s call for Ms Richards to act followed his move on Monday to file a defamation action in the federal court against broadcasters Nine Network Australia and TCN Channel Nine.

Lawyer Rebekah Giles. PHOTO: NCA NewsWire/Joel Carrett

Mr Laming’s lawyer Rebekah Giles said in a release, Channel Nine published a broadcast on March 27 this year which conveyed defamatory imputations of and concerning Mr Laming without obtaining Mr Laming’s response.

Ms Giles said the publications were widely republished on social media “with complete disregard to the factual circumstances further damaging” his reputation.

Ms Giles said Nine had refused to apologise despite many requests and said the proceedings were designed to hold the originators of the story to account.

She said other people in the community had offered apologies or deleted the posts, when alerted to the falsity of the allegations.

ABC journalist Louise Milligan recently reached a settlement agreement in another defamation action brought by Dr Laming.