Queensland Premier Steven Miles apologises to parliament after ‘lying’ about texts

The Queensland Premier made a formal apology for misleading parliament over text messages he sent to one of his factional allies.

Queensland Premier Steven Miles addresses Parliament before question time at Parliament in Brisbane. Picture: Dan Peled / NCA NewsWire

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Queensland Premier Steven Miles has been forced to formally apologise for misleading state parliament over text messages he sent to a factional ally.

In a torrid sitting of parliament, Mr Miles attempted to reverse the opposition’s accusations he’d “lied” by accusing David Crisafulli’s Liberal National Party of harassing a female Labor MP at work to secure evidence of his ­alleged deception.

It came as Mr Miles’s close friend, political ally and former Queensland tourism minister Kate Jones was forced to quit her job at a lobbying firm after The Australian revealed her role and meetings with him and other ex-ministerial colleagues.

In an attempt to cauterise the Jones situation, Mr Miles wrote to lobbying regulator Integrity Commissioner Linda Waugh, disclosing three meetings he’d had with Ms Jones since she quit parliament in 2020.

In the biggest integrity test for the new premier, opposition justice spokesman Tim Nicholls on Tuesday night asked Speaker Curtis Pitt to refer Mr Miles to the ethics committee for “misleading statements and his potential contempt of parliament” over the texts.

Mr Pitt has already asked the committee to investigate the photo taken of Pumicestone MP Ali King’s phone, saying “spying on members’ papers and devices in the assembly is a very serious matter”.

In the first sitting of parliament of the year last month, Mr Miles denied sending his Left-faction colleague Ms King text messages in October when she was under opposition attack in question time.

But Nine News broadcast a photograph of Ms King’s mobile phone, covertly taken by another MP in parliament, purportedly showing Mr Miles texting advice about how to handle the situation.

Mr Miles told parliament he was unaware he had misled the house until he’d seen the photograph, which he said showed the LNP had harassed a woman at work.

“The text message was from sometime prior and I did not recall it at the time and therefore wish to correct the record and apologise to the house for the error.”

Mr Miles’s apology caused uproar in the house, with Mr Hart declaring: “I don’t accept the apology from the Premier and the people of Queensland don’t accept the apology”, before he was ordered to leave the chamber for an hour.

The photograph of Ms King’s phone, showing the text messages, was taken during a sitting of parliament on October 11, when the government was under fire from the opposition about a Facebook post Ms King had written, telling her constituents to contact her directly for job opportunities in Queensland Health.

Mr Miles texted Ms King during the tense debate last year, instructing her to make a statement to the parliament. “Can you jump after Cameron (Dick) sits,” the text to Ms King read. “You could stand and say I rise on a matter of privilege suddenly arising”.

In question time on Tuesday, the LNP launched attacks on Mr Miles’s integrity with Mr Crisafulli questioning how voters could now trust any answers the premier gave in parliament.

“Integrity is the problem that continues to dog this government time and time again,” he said.

LNP deputy leader Jarrod Bleijie said Mr Miles had only apologised “after he was caught-out in his lie”.

Queensland Member for Pumicestone Ali King addresses parliament before question time at Queensland parliament in Brisbane. Picture: Dan Peled / NCA NewsWire

“Deliberately misleading the house is one of the utmost serious allegations that can be raised against an individual and Premier Miles, the misleader, would have us believe today that he is just a forgetful Joe Biden,” he told parliament.

“It is the Joe Biden defence that he just forgot what he said or text messaged a member of his party – you can’t use the Joe Biden defence in the Queensland parliament.”

Mr Miles attempted to fend off attacks on his integrity by goading the LNP over its perceived “women problem”.

“In women’s week, all the boys over there have is this celebration of the invasion of the member for Pumicestone’s privacy, this celebration of the harassment of women at work,” he said.

“They know no bounds when it comes to celebrating the mistreatment of women at work.”

Labor’s strategy heading into this week’s sitting of parliament was to transfer lingering voter anger at Scott Morrison and the federal Coalition over its handling of women’s issues to the state LNP. Ms King claimed the LNP was trying to “pull women down” by taking the photo of text messages on her phone.

Alleging a “misogynistic grubby culture,” Ms King told parliament she had been bullied and harassed by the MP who took the photo, which had invaded her privacy in a “creepy way”.

The LNP had also sought any texts from Mr Miles, the then deputy premier, to Ms King during question time through a Right to Information request last year but access was refused “on the basis that they are non-existent”.