Liberal MP Andrew Laming asks for privacy as he steps down from all parliamentary roles
Federal Liberal MP Andrew Laming has said he will step down from all parliamentary roles and undergo counselling after he downplayed an apology for allegedly bullying two Brisbane constituents.
Laming issued a statement late on Saturday after the prime minister, Scott Morrison, ordered him to take a private course to help him understand and be aware of his actions.
“I will step down from all parliamentary roles effective immediately and complete both the counselling courses I committed to; as well as additional clinical counselling, and ask for privacy while that is completed,” Laming said in a statement.
“I will have more to say on my future as soon as that process is completed. I would like to thank my local community for their understanding during this time and assure them my electorate staff remain available to them.”
Laming apologised in parliament on Thursday for allegedly harassing two women from his electorate over several years. He apologised for “the hurt and the distress that communication may have caused”.
However, the MP later downplayed that apology in a post on Facebook.
“In this climate – I willingly apologise – I didn’t even know what for at 4pm when I did it [in parliament],” Laming wrote, following it up with three tongue sticking out emojis and a heart eyes emoji.
His actions led to speculation the MP was confident his valuable vote in the lower house would spare him further punishment. The Morrison government holds a one-seat majority in the House of Representatives.
In response to a question about whether Laming was fit for parliament, Morrison has said that was up to voters. The prime minister added Laming’s constituents had been making that judgment in the seat of Bowman “for many, many years”.
“I want to see behaviour change and we’ve all got a job to do with that, and he certainly has a job to do on this,” Morrison told reporters in Sydney on Saturday