Queensland MP Jimmy Sullivan set to be booted from state Labor caucus
An extraordinary meeting of Labor MPs was held in Brisbane on Monday after a motion was moved by Opposition Leader Steven Miles to oust Mr Sullivan from the caucus.
Mr Sullivan is a second-term MP who has represented the electorate of Stafford on Brisbane's north side since 2020.
His future had been under a cloud since late last year, after Mr Miles directed Mr Sullivan to take leave until "legal and medical matters" were resolved.
Speaking after the caucus meeting, Mr Miles said the motion, which was seconded by deputy leader Cameron Dick, passed with the support of all MPs, except Mr Sullivan.
Mr Miles said he would now request the administrative committee of the Labor Party to remove Mr Sullivan's endorsement as a Labor MP.
He accused Mr Sullivan of failing to comply with a "safe return to work plan" since he returned to his duties as an MP earlier this year.
"That return to work plan was what you would expect to see in a return to work plan for somebody who had to take extended leave for personal and health matters," Mr Miles said.
Mr Miles, who was flanked by Mr Dick and senior MPs Grace Grace and Shannon Fentiman, said Mr Sullivan would cease to have any rights as a member of the state parliamentary Labor Party.
Asked if Mr Sullivan could possibly make a return to the Labor caucus, Mr Miles said he considered the matter "final".
"He will, if he chooses to, be an independent member of parliament and obviously can determine for himself how he votes on matters," Mr Miles said.
"There has been a long process here, and the caucus has taken an unprecedented step."
Mr Miles said Mr Sullivan addressed the meeting, but would not say what he told the assembled group of MPs.
In a statement, Mr Sullivan said the premise of Mr Miles's motion was "completely untrue".
He also branded it a "cheap political move" that was personally hurtful and against the principles of the Labor Party.
"I complied with every requirement placed on me, and more, and that was articulated to the leadership team in detail," Mr Sullivan said.
"I am Labor to my core. I have bled for this party since I was a teenager, including being a campaign director at federal, state and council levels, and working in opposition for a team of just seven MPs, winning back government in one term.
"I will continue to represent my Labor branch members who preselected me and my beautiful community who elected me twice as a Labor MP."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News.com.au
26 minutes ago
- News.com.au
Pensioners to get a bump in fortnightly Centrelink payments
Social security payments will rise across the board next month, with Australia's pensioners set to benefit the most. Welfare payments are indexed twice a year – once in March and once in September. The point is to make sure they keep pace - or at least try to - with changes in cost of living and wages. From September 20, people on the Age Pension, Disability Support Pension and Carer Payment will get up to $29.70 more in their fortnightly payments. While it might not go too far at the supermarket, it does mean those pensions have risen by almost $5000 since Labor won government in 2022. Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek said on Wednesday the Albanese government 'wants to help take the pressure off when it comes to cost of living'. 'Social security recipients are also benefiting from tax cuts, cheaper medicines, energy bill relief, cuts to student debt and a whole range of other cost-of-living measures we've delivered since coming into government,' she said in a statement. 'The social security system must be grounded in fairness, which is why we adjust supports as the economy changes. 'We'll continue to make sure the system is there to support those who need it most, ensuring that everyone can make ends meet and no one gets left behind.' Indexation for pensions are based on a few different measures, including the Consumer Price Index and male total average weekly earnings.
News.com.au
26 minutes ago
- News.com.au
‘Explicit terms': Premier Chris Minns says NSW told coal imports to Asia will end
Premier Chris Minns has warned that NSW's biggest export, black coal, is under threat as demand dries up. Mr Minns told budget estimates that Southeast Asia nations had indicated they would reduce their purchases of black coal 'to a point where they don't buy any at all'. 'Our largest export is still black coal, and it still goes to effectively a single market,' Mr Minns said on Wednesday, adding it accounted for much of the $40bn in exports. 'Now, those countries will continue to buy it, and there's a future for those jobs. I accept that. 'But, they've all indicated to us, over a different time horizons, in different ways, they'll be buying less of it in the future to the point where they don't buy any of it at all. 'NSW is facing a situation where our single biggest export, we are being told in explicit terms, will decline in the years ahead.' Australian coal is predominantly exported to countries in Asia and Southeast Asia, including Japan, China, India, South Korea, and Taiwan. A NSW government trade and investment strategy, released in May, indicated a need to diversify the state's exports, including in Southeast Asia. This includes plans for a $100bn increase in goods and services exports by 2035. The revelations come as Mr Minns is questioned about the conservation hunting Bill, which is before a parliamentary inquiry and seeks to expand hunting rights. Mr Minns indicated a 'bounty' scheme, in which NSW hunters were paid for kills of invasive species, was being considered, although he said it did not 'have blanket support'. He urged for a focus on 'export industries native to us', namely the state's agriculture sector, with combating native species being integral to that. 'We want to grow our agriculture sector. It's a huge and important part of the future growth, future economic growth for the state,' Mr Minns said. 'But, that's not going to happen if both the actual product is threatened by invasive species or the perception about Australian agriculture and primary products is threatened as a result of invasive species. 'So, I just think it's all hands on deck.'
News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
Australia probes $1 billion Nauru-China business deal
Australia is investigating whether Pacific microstate Nauru breached a security treaty by inking a lucrative business deal with a Chinese company. Nauru last week announced it had signed a US$650 million (A$1.02 billion) economic development agreement with the China Rural Revitilisation and Development Corporation. Australian Minister for Pacific Island Affairs Pat Conroy said officials were looking into whether that deal complied with a recent security pact between Canberra and Nauru. '(Australia) is engaging with the government of Nauru about whether it activates parts of our treaty,' Conroy told reporters. 'That is a really important treaty for us — that helps position us as a security partner of choice with Nauru.' Australia and Nauru announced a landmark security treaty in December last year, advancing Canberra's aim of blunting China's growing regional influence. Under the deal, Nauru must seek Australia's agreement before it signs any bilateral accords on maritime security, defence and policing. Nauru also agreed to consult Australia if other parties look to strike agreements granting them access to critical infrastructure such as ports and airfields or its banking sector. In return, Nauru receives tens of millions of dollars to prop up its government budget and bolster its stretched police force. Nauru last year surprised many Pacific watchers when it abruptly severed diplomatic links with Taiwan in favour of Beijing. Nauru's Foreign Affairs Minister Lionel Aingimea travelled to Beijing to sign the business deal last week. The China Rural Revitilisation and Development Corporation agreed to invest in key sectors such as agriculture and fisheries, according to a Nauru government release. Nauru, population 12,500, is one of the world's smallest countries with a mainland measuring just 20 square kilometres (7.7 square miles). It is considered especially vulnerable to climate change.
