Thomson and the duty of care

JULIA Gillard could take the pressure off her embattled MP.

AN individual's mental wellbeing is not a matter to be leveraged for political purposes. MPs from both sides of politics have expressed concern for Craig Thomson's welfare, including chief government Whip Joel Fitzgibbon, who invoked memories of Victorian MP Greg Wilton, who committed suicide in 2000, and West Australian Liberal backbencher Dr Mal Washer, whose concerns were first aired on these pages by Niki Savva a fortnight ago.

Mr Thomson's sense of isolation could only have intensified yesterday as suggestions emerged that the NSW Labor party would open nominations for his central coast seat of Dobell in September and possible replacements circled.

Instead of government MPs wringing their hands and urging Tony Abbott to "use care" over the issue, Julia Gillard should take the pressure off Mr Thomson by refusing to accept his vote in the House of Representatives until the Fair Work Australia findings against him are resolved. As an elected MP, it is up to Mr Thomson to decide whether or not he attends parliament and votes. But after deciding that

Mr Thomson should be ejected from the ALP caucus room it would be consistent if the Prime Minister refused to accept his vote. Such a move would end the unedifying brawl over whether Mr Thomson, as he says, is being pushed "to the brink", and to odious claims that Mr Thomson had been treated "worse than Ivan Milat". It is difficult to escape the truth that the person responsible for the predicament in which Mr Thomson now finds himself is Mr Thomson himself. Arguably, secondary blame attaches to the ALP for failing to exercise due diligence when they affirmed him as a candidate despite the allegations against him in 2010. Such a move would leave the Gillard government where it was after the 2010 election - in the precarious position of relying on the support of a majority of the independents to pass legislation, with the casting vote of Acting Speaker Anna Burke if necessary. For as long as the Gillard government accepts his vote, it will be dogged by claims and counter-claims about the toll the scandal is taking on his mental health. Such a quagmire is bad for Mr Thomson, for the government and for the nation, which needs the government to refocus attention on the economy and border protection.