Annastacia Palaszczuk found in contempt of parliament over attack on Katter’s Australian Party and Fraser Anning
Annastacia Palaszczuk found in contempt of parliament over an attack on Katter’s Australian Party.
Queensland’s parliamentary ethics committee has found premier Annastacia Palaszczuk in contempt of parliament over her attack last year on Katter’s Australian Party and former senator Fraser Anning.
In Question Time in August last year, Ms Palaszczuk threatened to withdraw funding for the Katter’s Australian Party parliamentary staff, if the party did not formally denounce comments by then KAP federal senator Fraser Anning about a “final solution” to immigration.
After the three KAP crossbenchers refused, Ms Palaszczuk announced at Labor’s state convention last year she would take away the four staffers, prompting a referral to the Crime and Corruption Commission. Mr Anning was eventually expelled from the KAP for other transgressions.
The ethics committee, headed by Labor MP Joe Kelly, found Ms Palaszczuk’s actions “amounted to an improper interference with the free performance by KAP members of the members’ duties as members”.
Ms Palaszczuk was ordered to apologise to parliament.
Last week, Katter’s Australian Party state leader Robbie Katter left the door open to referring the Premier to the state Director of Public Prosecutions, depending on the committee’s findings.
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