A Liberal-National MP has defied Premier David Crisafulli’s ploy to control far-right figures in the government’s party room by crossing the floor during a bid to reverse a gag on debate relating to the termination of pregnancy.
In the weeks following the 2024 state election, Crisafulli stunned parliament with a motion banning any bills or debate on abortion laws after the issue threatened to derail his party’s campaign.
The motion, which was passed at the time with his party’s support, banned any bill or amendment to the termination of pregnancy act as well as any motion or amendment “seeking to have this house express its views” on the laws.
On Tuesday, crossbench MP Robbie Katter, the state leader of Katter’s Australian Party and vocal advocate to tighten access to abortion, sought parliament’s approval to move a motion he had flagged would reverse Crisafulli’s gag on the debate.
The vote was supported by the crossbench as well as the Labor opposition but rejected by most of the LNP members, except for member for Mackay Nigel Dalton, who crossed the floor.
With the support of government MPs, the bid to reverse the gag was beaten comfortably but Dalton’s defiance could signal a crucial turning point for the premier’s control of the party room.
During the 2024 election, Crisafulli was dogged for his vague and repeated assurance that changing abortion laws was “not part of our plan”.
Meanwhile, Labor launched a campaign warning the LNP leader would be lobbied by his own backbench MPs who had previously spoken publicly about a desire to repeal Queensland’s abortion laws.
“Today the scare campaign ends,” Crisafulli told parliament at the time the gag was passed.
“Labor knew this wasn’t on the agenda, but they did it for grubby political purposes. Labor didn’t care about a woman’s right to choose, it was all about Labor’s desperate right to rule.”
More to come
Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.
James Hall is the News Director at the Brisbane Times. He is the former Queensland correspondent at The Australian Financial Review and has reported for a range of mastheads across the country, specialising on political and finance reporting.Connect via X or email.
