Queensland Speaker Curtis Pitt’s future in doubt after again appearing to slur in parliament

Queensland Labor Speaker Curtis Pitt will take leave after again appearing to slur his words and ignoring repeated private advice to leave during Question Time.

Speaker Curtis Pitt in Question Time in Queensland Parliament on Wednesday. He was approached six times by parliamentary clerk Neil Laurie, who suggested he leave the chair. Picture: Liam Kidston

Queensland Labor Speaker Curtis Pitt will take leave after he again ­appeared to slur his words in ­parliament and ignored repeated private advice from the parliamentary clerk to leave during question time.

Mr Pitt made the announcement after high-level discussions in the Palaszczuk government about whether he can remain in the role, or whether a vote should be taken to replace him.

In a statement released on Wednesday afternoon, Mr Pitt said as a “consequence of my ongoing medical issues, I have decided to take a further period of leave”.

“As previously advised, I am suffering from severe back problems and will soon be undertaking scheduled surgery,” Mr Pitt said.

“Consequently, I am taking strong pain relief medication on an as-required basis to manage this condition which can at times manifest in different ways, including the onset of drowsiness.

“My period of leave is effective immediately.”

The statement was issued less than an hour after The Australian approached him for comment about his performance.

Parliamentary clerk Neil Laurie declined to comment to The Australian. MPs observed him approach Mr Pitt in parliament six times in two hours on Wednesday morning.

He was overheard telling Mr Pitt: “You are not right, you’ve got to leave.”

When Mr Pitt first rose in parliament to say the Lord’s Prayer, he stumbled over the words.

He did not respond to calls from The Australian.

The veteran Labor MP only returned to work this week, after going on several weeks of leave to take care of his mental health. He had to be woken up by police in Cairns on May 9 after he failed to turn up to the regional sitting of parliament in his home city.

Mr Pitt turned up late to parliament that day, slurred through question time, and then took the rest of the week off, before announcing he had to go on extended leave. He said at the time that it was the effects of the flu, and not late-night drinks, that caused him to be under the weather at the regional sitting.

Mr Pitt was asked whether he was under the influence, to which he replied: “No, not to what anyone is suggesting at all.”

On Wednesday, Mr Pitt left the House after Question Time.

There are only two ways to remove a Speaker of the Queensland parliament: he can choose to resign, or an MP can move a motion on the floor of parliament to replace him. The latter move would spark a debate on the floor.

“Something was not right with him,” one Labor MP said. “People are just hoping he is OK.”

Other backbench Labor MPs are angry because Mr Pitt, a former treasurer, appeared to be distracting from the government’s ability to sell the budget, handed down by Treasurer Cameron Dick on Tuesday.

Mr Pitt issued a statement in May before he went on leave, confirming he would take a “period of time off for my mental health to get well, and to do my job to the best of my abilities”.

“A number of issues have converged at this point in my life. I’m not doing as well emotionally as I’ve made out to anyone,” Pitt said.

“A lengthy divorce after more than two decades of marriage, an underlying medical condition in ulcerative colitis, suffering from depression, and requiring ongoing medication for my back – for which I am scheduled to have surgery soon.

“My elderly parents both have serious health issues and my work over five terms as an MP, a regional minister, and as Speaker have taken a toll.”

Mr Pitt has served as the member for Mulgrave since March 2009. He became treasurer after the Palaszczuk government was elected in 2015, before being replaced by Jackie Trad.