Protest planned ahead of Andrew Laming’s return to Parliament

Prime Minister Scott Morrison is under renewed pressure to dump Andrew Laming from the Coalition party room when the embattled backbencher returns to Parliament next week.

Dr Laming will arrive in Canberra in time for the federal budget to be handed down on Tuesday.

Andrew Laming is expected to return to Parliament next week. Credit: Andrew Meares

It will be Dr Laming’s first time in Parliament since Mr Morrison ordered him to take medical leave and undergo empathy training in late March after he was accused of harassing two women online and taking a photo of a woman’s bottom with her underwear visible while she bent over.

A Saturday morning protest has been planned for Dr Laming’s Bowman electorate, east of Brisbane, with local state Labor MPs Don Brown and Kim Richards expected to attend.

The event has been set up by the Brisbane Chapter of March4Justice Australia, which also organised women’s rights protests in every major capital city earlier this year.

“As allegation after allegation emerges about Andrew Laming, he continues to take responsibility and the government insist he is a fit and proper person to sit on the government benches,” the event read.

“It’s well beyond time for government ministers to act respectively and responsibly and if they can’t then they must resign.”

Dr Laming was disendorsed by Queensland’s Liberal National Party after refusing to formally withdraw his prelection nomination last month but remains in the Coalition party room.

His disendorsement made him eligible for a taxpayer-funded payment of $105,600, or six months’ salary.

Mr Morrison has resisted calls to force Dr Laming to the crossbench, which would plunge the Coalition into minority government, saying he had already done “something quite significant” by announcing he would not seek re-election.

Asked about Dr Laming’s return, Defence Minister Peter Dutton said the veteran backbencher had been “clear and upfront” about his decision to quit politics at the next election.

“I think people who criticise him would be well-served if they had a look at his record and look at what he has been able to deliver for his local community,” Mr Dutton said.

“He has made mistakes and importantly he has owned up to them.

“If there is a politically based rally against him then the organiser no doubt will be upfront about their affiliations and who they are there representing as opposed to the local community.”

Mr Dutton said Dr Laming has been “elected to represent the people of Bowman for three years” and he would return to Parliament next week “because that is what he was elected to do”.

LNP preselection nominations for Dr Laming’s replacement in Bowman close on Wednesday.