BYE BYE BILLY Cook MP quits before voters decided for him
Controversial Cook MP encourages supporters to back Labor’s Lui instead
BILLY Gordon, who has quit after a controversial first term as Member for Cook, is backing the Labor Party to win the state election, despite being thrown out of the ALP for failing to disclose a criminal past.
BILLY Gordon has ended his short and repugnant political career before voters got the chance to do it for him.
The Cook MP has announced he will not contest the state election, instead throwing his support behind Labor candidate Cynthia Lui.
“As an indigenous Australian, I am excited at the prospect of having for the very first time a Torres Strait Islander elected to the Queensland Legislative Assembly,” he said in a written statement.
Ms Lui, who was campaigning in Pormpuraaw yesterday, wished Mr Gordon well with the next stage of his life.
“Right now I am working hard to earn the trust and support of the electors of Cook,” she said.
Mr Gordon has been dogged by controversy at every turn since taking office in 2015.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk sacked him from Labor just weeks after the election for failing to disclose his criminal record.
His refusal to quit created a hung Parliament.
Yesterday, he urged his supporters to back the party that dumped him.
“A vote for One Nation or the LNP on November 25 is a vote for an unholy alliance that trades in fear, ignorance and hate,” he said.
“Only Annastacia Palaszczuk has the courage, belief and vision needed to lead this great state into the next term of government.”
LNP candidate for Cook Penny Johnson said she was surprised her former competitor took so long to quit.
“One would have thought that if he had been really keen to continue in that role, he would have decided well beforehand,” he said.
“Given that he was elected under the Labor banner, it’s no surprise that he would maintain that allegiance.”
Mr Gordon said it had been a privilege to represent the electorate and he was proud of his achievements.
“Fighting for cane farmers to have a greater say in selling their sugar cane was history making,” he said.
“Advocating for greater community control of primary healthcare in Cape York and supporting our agricultural industry on the Cape by listening to their voices when it came to the proposed state government vegetation management policy are among some of my significant work.”