Speaker Curtis Pitt denies being under the influence at Queensland regional parliament sitting
HOMETOWN SPEAKER MISSING IN ACTION
Queensland Speaker Curtis Pitt is adamant it was the effects of the flu, and not late night drinks, to blame for him rolling up 45 minutes late to the regional sitting of parliament in his home town of Cairns on Tuesday.
The veteran Labor MP, appointed Speaker in 2017 after being pushed aside as Treasurer by the now-departed Jackie Trad, had to be woken by police who went to his hotel room for a “welfare check” after failing to take frantic calls from parliamentary staff.
With deputy Speaker Joe Kelly filling in, Clerk of Parliament Neil Laurie informed the house at 9.30am of the “unavoidable absence of the Speaker from this morning’s sittings”.
And when Pitt finally did take the Speaker’s chair to oversee the beginning of Question Time at 10.15am, MPs from both sides of the aisle told Chooks he appeared to slur a few words.
He then began proceedings by declaring that the traditional hour of QT scrutiny would “conclude at 11.15pm” – a full 12 hours later. (The Hansard now has a corrected record that he said “11.15am”).
There were bizarre scenes in parliament after Speaker Curtis Pitt was nowhere to be found. The MP claims he fell ill after attending government functions. https://t.co/f3b41UXpLe@MarlinaWhop#qldpol#7NEWSpic.twitter.com/J8EA57dCxU
— 7NEWS Brisbane (@7NewsBrisbane) May 9, 2023
Thankfully, the charade of unanswered opposition questions and government Dorothy Dixers didn’t go beyond the usual 60 minutes.
During QT, Pitt’s occasional call for “Order” seemed to take a long and languid delivery and he even reached into what many believe could be the future hope for Labor, with Annastacia Palaszczuk’s falling popularity, when he addressed Attorney-General Shannon Fentiman as “the premier”
After QT, Pitt then notified the Clerk that he would be taking sick leave for the remainder of the three days of parliament at the Cairns Convention Centre.
The Speaker, who was staying at taxpayers’ expense at the Hilton, just 20 or so kilometres from his electorate office, had been out the night before until at least around midnight.
He had hosted a Cairns’ youth parliament event for 12 schools on Monday, before going to Trade and Investment Queensland’s Taste of Tropical Queensland shindig at the cruise liner terminal in the evening.
Pitt later told reporters he had “a couple of drinks, like everyone else did” at the government event.
He then went to dinner with friends at Italian restaurant Villa Romana, on the Cairns esplanade, before stopping in at another venue on the way back to his hotel.
But Pitt tells Chooks it wasn’t the late night or the booze behind his behaviour.
“I still feel like I’ve been hit by a truck. I have a really bad flu,” Pitt says.
“And it disappoints me greatly to miss any aspects of the Cairns parliament, because of how much time and effort I’ve put in, as well as the parliamentary service.”
“I am sick. I am unwell.”
Chooks: “So it wasn’t that you were under the influence?”
Pitt: “No, not to what anyone is suggesting at all”.
Chooks has learned Pitt has provided a medical certificate that says he has suspected influenza.
Alarm bells rang in April about Pitt’s behaviour, after a Saturday evening event at Brisbane’s parliament house to officially swear in members of the youth parliament, aged between 15 and 25.
Pitt was supposed to MC the event, but he turned up late – blaming it on a personal phone call – and delivered a rambling speech, during which he did not refer to his notes.
Chooks understands Pitt insists that he was affected by a combination of prescription medications.
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