Gordon 'weighing up options' after being sacked from Labor Party
Monday March 30 2015, 12:10pm
Member for Cook Billy Gordon is ‘weighing up his options’ after being expelled from the Queensland Labour Party by premier Annastacia Palaszczuk.
Ms Palaszczuk sacked Mr Gordon over the weekend after details about his criminal record emerged.
While he is still the Member for Cook he is now no longer a member of the Labour Party and has been asked to resign his position by Ms Palaszczuk.
Since then Mr Gordon has taken to Facebook to discuss the events, apologising to his party and the electorate of Cook for failing to disclose his past.
His criminal record includes a string of break-and-enters, public nuisance and breach of probation in the late 1980s and 1990s on the Tableland, with a recent serving of an apprehended violence order (AVO) by his mother in 2008.
The AVO was never heard in court and was not included in his criminal record.
There have also been rumours of domestic violence surrounding him, but Mr Gordon is welcoming a police investigation into those issues and says he will cooperate fully with police.
According to his latest Facebook post Mr Gordon is now ‘weighing up his options’ about his next move, stating that he is undergoing a serious eye operation today and will be seeking legal advice in addition to discussing the issue with his family and supporters.
He has also stated that he wants to ensure he receives ‘natural justice’ in any decision that might see him removed as Member for Cook.
“I am very concerned that I should be afforded natural justice in any determination that my tenure as the Member for Cook should be terminated because of [Ms Palaszczuk’s] move to see me expelled from the Labor Party and her wish for me to resign as a Member of Parliament,” Mr Gordon posted.
“The Premier has previously requested that the Police Commissioner investigate whether I have transgressed any law and that process should be allowed to continue its natural course.
“Any other attempt to remove me from the Parliament and force me to resign is a denial of natural justice.”
Earlier Facebook posts by Mr Gordon after the matter broke on the weekend detail a difficult childhood beset with many challenges.
“Throughout my life I have overcome many challenges and adversities [sic] In particular growing up as young Indigenous boy,” he posted.
“I remember wishing as young person that I had grown up with a ‘normal’ nuclear family.
Unfortunately that wasn’t the case. Growing up I remember spending a lot of time wanting what other kids had, like shoes, bikes, footballs etc. One of the things that I do remember wishing for the most, even into my years as a teenager, was for a perfect father figure, especially since as a young man I also had serious contact with the criminal justice system.”
Mr Gordon has also posted that he will make no further media comment for the time being.
His expulsion throws the state Labor government into crisis after just over a week of operation, with Ms Palaszczuk admitting that it could cost her premiership.
“I have always maintained integrity is fundamental to any government I lead,” she said.
“I am prepared to put my premiership on the line.”
