Laughing Andrew Laming to undergo behaviour training as pressure builds to sack him

PM forced to counsel Liberal MP for the second time in three days after he was caught laughing off his apology to two women.

Liberal MP Andrew Laming has agreed to undergo an unspecified re-education course over his trolling of women online.

After disciplining Dr Laming on Thursday over his behaviour, Prime Minister Scott Morrison was forced to speak to him again on Saturday, after the Queensland Liberal laughed off his grovelling apology to two women he abused on Facebook

Dr Laming last night admitted he “didn’t even know” what he was apologising for when he got up in Parliament to say sorry to two constituents.

“In this climate — I willingly apologise — I didn’t even know what for at 4pm when I did it,’’ Dr Laming wrote on Facebook, along with a series of laughing face emojis. He later told reporters the post was made accidentally while his phone was in his pocket.

Resisting calls for Dr Laming’s sacking, Scott Morrison on Saturday said the Member for Bowman instead needed help with his behaviour.

“I spoke with him again this morning, and I’m arranging for Mr Laming to get appropriate assistance with a private course, to build his understanding and awareness about his actions,” the Prime Minister said.

Dr Laming had agreed to the course, he said.

“What I want to see from him is to see his behaviour change.”

“There are conscious malevolent acts that are undertaken to discriminate against women and make women feel unsafe. There are also many unconscious acts born out of a lack of understanding and appreciation and awareness. We have to address both of those things.

“I don’t want to see gender become a dividing thing in this nation,” he said.

Pressure is growing on Mr Morrison to force out Dr Laming over his online harassment of women, with one of the complainants calling the MP’s apology in parliament “hollow”

The Prime Minister on Friday said Dr Laming’s online attacks on charity worker Alix Russo and Sheena Hewlett, the wife of a local councillor in Dr Laming’s electorate of Bowman, were “disgraceful” and he personally dressed him down in the Prime Minister’s office.

Ms Hewlett has accused the Liberal MP of trolling her and her husband online for years and taking pictures of her in a local park while he hid in the bushes.

The complainant said on Friday that she and her husband Lance Hewlett complained to the Prime Minister’s office countless times both under Mr Morrison and Malcolm Turnbull’s leadership.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison. Picture: Getty Images

“I believe the apology was a very insincere and hollow one,” she said on Friday.

“The Prime Minister’s office (Turnbull and Morrison) has never responded to numerous complaints that my husband and I submitted over many years about the social media and direct bullying and harassment. There are too many incidents to list them all.

“He should be dismissed or resign from office.”

The Prime Minister’s office was approached for comment on Ms Hewlett’s claims.

Ms Russo told Nine News on Thursday she was so affected by Dr Laming’s online claims she had misused charity funds that she started having suicidal thoughts.

Dr Laming was also forced to apologise to Redlands City Councillor Tracey Huges last June after he claimed online repeatedly that she destroyed candidate signs in a local election and Ms Huges moved to sue him.

Sheena Hewlett.

“I was really distressed by what Andrew was saying. The family he accused me of essentially stealing signs off were a refugee family in my church. I had just recently helped to enrol their children in school,” she said.

“He sent me the apology within an hour of my legal complaint. He’s backed off me but he’s not fit to be in parliament.”

The MP wrote on Facebook last June that his claims about Ms Huges — a Labor Party member — stealing signs were “incorrect”.

Dr Laming, who has been in parliament since 2004, apologised to Ms Hewlett and Ms Russo for his online comments in the House on Thursday night.

“I want to unreservedly apologise to both Ms Hewlett and Russo and I express my regret and deep apologies for the hurt that my communication may have caused,” he told parliament.

Mr Morrison said in Melbourne on Friday that Dr Laming now knew his “expectations” on how to behave after he hauled the MP for Bowman into his office.

“I found that disgraceful and called him into my office and told him to apologise and he did so,” Mr Morrison said. “He’s very clear about my expectations.”

Liberal sources said the Prime Minister cannot move to expel Dr Laming from the government party room, and he can only be disendorsed from the party by his local branch.