Warning against false claims and inflammatory rhetoric following Haines attack
Speaker Pat Weir has called on Queensland politicians to stop using inflammatory language and peddling false narratives in the wake of the attack on Helen Haines.
Parliament opened with the speech on Tuesday, as Weir paid tribute to the seriously injured Victorian MP and said political debate in the Sunshine State had become overly personal and vitriolic.
“When public debate becomes increasingly hostile, personal or dehumanising, it risks undermining respect for others and confidence in our democratic institutions,” Weir told the state’s representatives.
“The tone of that public discourse, especially on social media, can lead individuals either infected by hatred or extremism, or affected by mental illness, to horrific actions.”
The Speaker said in the past sitting week of Queensland’s parliament there had been 24 withdrawals required for personal reflections, four required for unparliamentary language, and at least one false allegation made against a member, as well as disrespect of the chair.
“The quarrelling across the chamber is incessant,” he added.
“The interjections, with no point other than to stir members on the other side, is widespread.
“There are many members on both sides of this house that, on a regular basis, misuse broadcast to parliament, distort the actual proceedings, and inflame public feelings for base political advantage.
“The serious allegations that are hurled across this chamber, in this house, about other members, and the peddling of false narratives increases each week.
“It is time to reset. It is time to start respecting each other.
“By all means, disagree on issues, but start to respect each other and this institution.”
Good morning
Welcome back to our coverage of Queensland Parliament.
MPs are back for the third-last sitting week of the year, and there’s still plenty on the agenda.
The set-piece of the week will be the debate and expected passage of the Crisafulli government’s controversial “breach of bail, go to jail” laws – with support from Labor.
Attorney-General Deb Frecklington has flagged in a News Corp story that she will introduce a bill to crack down on non-consensual sexually explicit deepfake imagery.
And newly minted Child Safety and Prevention of Domestic and Family Violence Minister Amanda Stoker will face her first question time from the government frontbench seats after the resignation of her predecessor, Amanda Camm, from the hot-button portfolio last week.
Follow along here for all the updates you need to know.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: www.smh.com.au
