Qld Labor formed government with the support of an independent.

Doesn't Labor screen its candidates? Now this has happened,

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has sacked MP Billy Gordon from the Labor Party over a string of undeclared criminal offences in a decision that puts Labor's minority government in jeopardy...

Mr Gordon, the member for Cook, has not revealed yet whether he will quit parliament which would spark a by-election in his far north Queensland seat of Cook...

Billy Gordon's charges and convictions:

Breaking and entering and stealing in 1987 in Innisfail
Breaking and entering with intent, attempted breaking and entering and stealing in 1990 in Atherton
Breach of probation in 1992 in Atherton
Public nuisance in 1996 in Normanton and breach of bail conditions in 1999
Driver licence suspended for unlicensed driving in 2004 and 2008
Served with an Apprehended Violence Order in 2008 after a complaint by his mother
Mr Gordon issued a statement last night that revealed a criminal history dating back to the 1980s that includes break and enters and an apprehended violence order taken out by his mother.

He had been in the spotlight during the first week of Parliament after his former partner also alleged she was a victim of domestic violence."

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-03-29/queensland-premier-annastacia-palaszczuk-sacks-billy-gordon-mp/6356718

Labor spinmasters will be working overtime. There is already a hot glow showing over George Street.

OTB as far as I'm aware the parties don't have legal access to peoples criminal records and rely on stat decs to cover a range of issues. I could be wrong about that.

If he has deceived his party over his criminal history then there are valid grounds to sack him.

I get the impression from what I've read that the AVO was served on the basis of a complaint, not a proven case. There are also untested allegations by a former partner. Not really sure how I would like to see them dealt with. We have been over that particular issue plenty of times on OLO and I'm always nervous when penalties are applied to someone on the basis of claims that have not been tested in court.

I support people standing aside/being stood aside from positions of trust while allegations are tested in court but overall don't believe an allegation equals guilt. Shades of grey in that, my views tend to vary a bit depending on the weight of evidence available.

The LNP certainly struggled in their term with a few members who were in my view unsuited for public office. I don't know how the parties can deal with effectively up front, the telling point is how it's dealt with once the issue comes to light.

R0bert

RObert, even if he didn't actually threaten his mother or the other woman, surely the other crimes would still ring alarm bells for the job of a politician?

I agree that this guy should be sacked from politics altogether.
Surely politicians should be made to follow the same procedures as many other jobs require...a recent police clearance.....before they are accepted into the party?

Maybe the problem would be that there wouldn't be many pollies left standing if they brought in that requirement right now!

What do you know.

I had never thought of Anastasia as amusing, however the sight of the great lump, on the news tonight was straight comedy.

Yep standing there stamping her foot, like a petulant teenager for the news cameras was pure Faulty Towers stuff. "I instructed he be dismissed from the party" as if anyone would be hearing her over the laughter.

If those Romans had just had Anastasia in the closing years of the empire, they would not have needed that costly circus to distract the population.

Suseonline, my personal opinion is that a history like that should either stop someone from being a member of parliament or be required to be declared to the electorate prior to the election but neither appears to be what the law requires.

Plenty of alarm bells get rung by what's reported but I'd rather see the law changed than specific individuals be dealt with as exceptions.

I hope the premier is acting from conviction rather than expediency, no easy way of telling at this point in time. A party not dependant on an independents support but needing every member they can get might be inclined to make a different choice about sacking a member in a similar scenario.

R0bert

Hasbeen, I don't get it. What's so funny? And what do you think she should've said or done after discovering this cockup?