Laming calls on Richards to lodge a formal harassment complaint

Andrew laming has called for a southside MP to lodge a formal complaint after she attacked him in parliament over what she claims was ‘disturbing’ online behaviour.

Redlands MP Kim Richards; the Facebook post; Bowman MP Andrew Laming.

A state MP has become the latest to give MP Andrew Laming a slamming.

Member for Redlands Kim Richards told state parliament she had been harassed by Mr Laming, the federal Member for Bowman, after she claimed he hid in a bush to take photos of her in a local park.

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

Redlands MP Kim Richards tables documents in parliament claiming Andrew Laming has trolled her online.

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.

She tabled documents which included the photos and Facebook posts Mr Laming took of her, including one where she pointed out a bush she claimed he had stood near when getting the shot.

He posted the photo on Facebook with the caption “Most awkward thing ever. Kim Richards with no reason to be in a kids’ park, escorted around by the Hewletts, desperate to talk to anyone.”

One of the posts tabled in documents by Kim Richards, which Mr Laming said only captured half of his message with the screenshot cutting off the end of a sentence.

Ms Richards also tabled a Facebook post in which Mr Laming called her Queensland’s most dishonest MP and spoke about another post he made on Valentine’s Day in which he questioned who she had held a meeting with that day.

She told parliament “it was absolutely disturbing” that he had superimposed her head on pirates and other figures.

“The audacity of the federal Member for Bowman to stand up in federal parliament this week and take offence at being called a taxpayer-funded Facebook troll is simply unbelievable,” she said.

“He also freely admits running over 37 Facebook pages, which I have tabled, where he acknowledges that.”

Mr Laming has not been charged with any offences.

Last night, he put Ms Richards on notice to lodge a formal complaint to authorities for investigation within 14 days.

Mr Laming said this was the photo he took of his wife (yellow arrow) which also captured Kim Richards and other politicians in the background.

“This is a woman using the protection of parliament to make trumped up quasi-criminal allegations and has not got the ticker to lodge formal complaints to authorities for what was a photo of my wife and children,” Mr Laming said.

“The political question I asked about Ms Richards was when she was showboating in a park with Labor councillors and deliberately cut out independent councillor Paul Golle, who was responsible for the park, which was both mean and sneaky.

“When I got home later and was aware Ms Richards had done this behind Cr Golle’s back, I checked the photos taken that day and was relieved the photo I took of my wife and children captured the evidence that Kim Richards was excluding Cr Golle and trying to take credit.”

Mr Laming made headlines last month after apologising in federal parliament following accusations of harassment by women in his electorate.

He subsequently took time out for “empathy training” on orders from the Prime Minister Scott Morrison but returned to work this week for the federal budget.