Queensland MP Billy Gordon has denied knowingly misleading parliament on the status of child support payments, saying he was unaware he still owed money to a former partner.
The embattled independent, whose exit from the governing Labor party was the subject of renewed attacks by the state opposition on Tuesday, told parliament he learned he owed $24.32 to former partner Kristy Peckham a week after telling the house his payments were up to date.
The opposition leader, Lawrence Springborg, said it was doubtful Gordon would have included another $20,000 in child support debts to another former partner on his pecuniary interests register “if it wasn’t for the courageous statements” of another of his former partners to a TV program last Friday.
Gordon has maintained his innocence over allegations of domestic violence against both women, which are being investigated by police.
He said he was “committed to rectifying the [payments] situation by now entering an arrangement with the child support agency to take a calculated amount of my wage on a regular basis to make up the unpaid child support”.
He said he told parliament on 27 March his payments to Peckham were up to date after speaking to a child support agency officer a week earlier.
“A week after giving my personal explanation to parliament, I returned home to find correspondence from the agency that showed a very small amount, $24.32 still owing to Kristy,” Gordon said.
“Since then, fortnightly deductions of substantial amounts have and continue to be made. I did not knowingly mislead the parliament when I stated that outstanding amounts had been paid to Kristy. My answer was truthfully based on information I had to hand.”
Gordon was cut off by the speaker, Peter Wellington, after attempting to expand his explanation around his personal controversy with “some remarks about the media and political attacks that have assailed me for some time”.
“I entered the parliament with my eyes wide open, knowing it could be a rough business but I didn’t expect in my very first month of this parliament to feel the full ugly force of unethical, agenda-ridden media, driven by the unbridled ambitions of some,” he said.
Wellington told Gordon he would later have the opportunity “to articulate the views you are articulating now [but] you are straying from the personal explanation”.
The speaker earlier dismissed Gordon’s written complaint that Springborg had committed contempt of parliament by releasing child support documents containing his children’s names and other confidential information to journalists at a press conference last month.
Wellington also said Gordon had “offered no explanation beyond the assertion” that his performance as an MP had been interfered with by Springborg.
He accordingly would not refer the complaint to the parliamentary ethics committee.
The government also passed a motion to remove Gordon from the committee for agriculture and environment.
Springborg attacked the minority government for relying on Gordon’s vote after Labor in opposition criticised the former Liberal National party government for accepting the vote of disgraced former MP Scott Driscoll while he faced fraud allegations.
“[Labor] made excuses for the member for Cook, they ditched the member for Cook, and now they’re embracing the member for Cook,” he said.
“All Queenslanders want is some honesty from the premier about what she actually knew and also some honesty from [Gordon].
“Not what we’ve seen here, piecemeal explanations to the parliament where [he] is trying to explain himself away but as new information comes up, he then has to come up into this place and to actually make a further personal explanation.”
Palaszcuk attempted to return fire by accusing Springborg of the “disgraceful” act of his office “circulating private confidential documents involving [Gordon’s] children”.
“That’s your record, it’s disgraceful and absolutely despicable,” she said.
