Queensland government passes first censure motion in 13 years after eight Labor MPs ditch budget debate and flee parliament to regions

Sky News AU

3 days ago

Eight Labor MPs, including Opposition Leader and former Queensland Premier Steven Miles have been slapped with the first censure motion in 13 years after abruptly fleeing budget hearings.
The Queensland LNP government handed down its first budget on Tuesday, promising new cost of living relief measures.
The budget was headlined by a $100 voucher for families with school aged children replacing those introduced by Labor last year, and a new shared equity scheme for first home buyers allowing buyers to enter the market with a deposit of as little as 2 per cent.
Treasurer David Janetzki who railed against rising debt in opposition projected the states debt would remain at historic highs and likely pass $205 billion by 2028-29 with the budget also set to record a $9 billion deficit in the coming financial year.
However, instead of attending budget hearings in the state's parliament on Wednesday morning, eight Labor MPs including Opposition Leader Steven Miles and senior shadow frontbenchers skipped town and travelled to a range of locations including regional Queensland, Cairns and the Sunshine and Gold Coasts.
The move prompted a furious reaction in parliament, with Premier David Crisafulli blasting the string of MP's for holding their own respective press conferences while parliament sat.
"I see a lot of vacant seats surrounding the leader of the opposition," he said.
"This place here is where you want to turn up and do some work, Queenslanders expect you to turn up and do some work."
Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie said the MPs absence was the 'biggest farce' he'd seen in his 16 years as an MP and labelled Mr Miles a 'Judas goat.'
Leader of the House Christian Rowan also launched a stinging rebuke and branded the opposition as 'lazy' and not up to the 'great responsibilities that are bestowed upon them.'
'Our democratic institution needs to be treated with the dignity and respect it deserves,' he said.
The government then unprecedentedly moved a censure motion against the Opposition to express the houses condemnation of the stunt, with the motion resoundingly passing 49 votes to 26 in the LNP's favour.
A censure motion was last moved in the Queensland parliament in 2011 when former Premier Anna Bligh accused the LNP of dodging debate for 20 minutes, allowing her government to ram through three pieces of legislation unopposed.
Steven Miles ardently defended his team's desertion and said his party had made a 'deliberate choice today to make sure that Queenslander knew how this LNP government had let them down.'
Mr Miles said the budget was 'bad for regional Queensland' and stated his imminent budget reply would be the 'most detailed ever delivered by first-year opposition and will outline a plan to improve housing affordability and investment".
The contingent of Labor MPs who missed the morning session included shadow police minister Glenn Butcher, shadow energy minister Lance McCallum, shadow environment minister Leanne Linard, shadow tourism minister Michael Healy, Greenslopes MP Joe Kelly and Bundaberg MP Tom Smith.
After question time concluded shadow attorney-general Meaghan Scanlon travelled to the Gold Coast while Bart Mellish went to the Sunshine Coast.
When pressed as to why he had decided to spend a night in Cairns Mr Healy said, 'it doesn't matter how I vote, the government have the numbers' and added it should 'happen more.'
'The (budget) Bill hadn't even started being discussed,' Mr Healy said.