THE AGE: A move by Dr Laming to the crossbench would send the Coalition into minority government as it holds just 75 seats in the 151-member lower house.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Minister for Women Marise Payne have resisted pressure to remove Dr Laming from their party, saying he had already taken a significant step by abandoning his federal political career.
“He was elected to serve here for three years, in this parliamentary term, and that’s what he intends to do,” Mr Morrison said. “He is here to serve the people in his electorate and I am following the very same approach that other governments have followed in the past.”
The point that Morrison and Payne miss completely is that he was not elected to behave the way that he is alleged to have behaved.
It would be interesting to see if Dr Laming still has the confidence of the electors of Bowman.
He has his critics in the Liberal Party
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg told Nine’s Today that Dr Laming’s behaviour had fallen below community standards and the public expectation of politicians.
“I don’t think his behaviour is acceptable at all. In fact, I think it’s demeaning to women.” But Frydenberg stopped short of saying that Laming should be moved to the cross bench.
Victorian senator Sarah Henderson on Monday said he should remove himself from the Coalition party room because she would not feel comfortable with him returning.
Liberal MP Katie Allen said that Dr Laming had been in parliament for 17 years and it was the right time “to reconsider his future.”
Laming should have the decency to resign from Parliament. Unfortunately there is no mechanism to remove before the next election.
Morrison could force Laming to sit on the cross bench
THE AGE reports: Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull has called for disgraced Queensland MP Andrew Laming to be kicked out of the Liberal party room immediately.
Mr Turnbull praised NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian and deputy premier John Barilaro for forcing a state Nationals MP onto the crossbench after allegations he raped a sex worker, which the man has denied, and sent lewd messages from Parliament.
Clearly, Turnbull thinks that Morrison should follow Berejiklian’s example.
The electorate should not hold its breath