Gillard Says No Chance Parliament Will Expel Craig Thomson under Her Watch
Embattled MP Craig Thomson has survived attempts by the Coalition on Tuesday to force him into a two-week leave even as Prime Minister Julia Gillard dismissed suggestions that she initiate the former Labor MP's dismissal from the Parliament.
However, Mr Thomson may not enjoy the same luck in the days ahead as some of his colleagues mull the likelihood of taking a different stand on similar initiatives.
Independent MPs Tony Windsor and Rob Oakeshott voted in favour of Mr Thomson as the former Labor MP thwarted a motion by opposition lawmakers in the Parliament that would have compelled him to stand down from the chamber for at least 14 days.
The Coalition motion was defeated for failing to muster the necessary 76 majority votes.
Messrs Windsor and Oakeshott, however, told the Australian Associated Press (AAP) on Wednesday that the outcome of a similar move in the future could deviate from the results on Tuesday.
Mr Oakeshott hinted that as he absorbed the damning Fair Work Australia (FWA) report on Mr Thomson, which implicated the Dobell member on alleged funds misused while serving as secretary for the Health Services Union (HSU), he could be more inclined to support campaigns by the Oposition to oust the suspended Labor MP from the Parliament.
The FWA probe has concluded that Mr Thomson had accumulated unauthorised spending of about $500,000, which he used for his personal and political outlays, including acquiring the services of escorts.
On his part, Mr Windsor admitted that in the coming days his stance in defending the basic rights of Mr Thomson as a duly-elected member of the House of Representative could see radical revisions.
"Everybody does deserve due process and the processes of the judicial system, but that report is such a shocking report," the independent MP said while addressing reporters in Canberra on Wednesday.
He admitted too that he requires more reading on the matter and conceded that "a bit more homework," on his part is a must prior to making a decision in the future.
Yet lucky for Mr Thomson, Ms Gillard appears bent on giving him sufficient backing in the Parliament despite her earlier reported decision that eased out the former from the Labor caucus.
Mr Thomson has decided last week to sit with the crossbenchers, which Ms Gillard said was the result of his talk with the former Labor MP.
However, Ms Gillard said on Wednesday that forcing Mr Thomson from his duties in the Parliament, even temporarily, was both inappropriate and could set off an unsettling precedent for all Australian lawmakers.
In an interview with Sky News, the prime minister stressed that expelling a member of the Parliament for any cause would only favour a specific political party that controls the government.
"''Are we really going to move to a system where someone who can get a majority on the floor can kick out another member and stop them voting because they are the subject of allegations that they deny?" Ms Gillard said.
The Labor leader noted too "we've never in the nation's history in a parliament excluded someone from voting because they are the subject of allegations that they deny."
Addressing too the declaration of Opposition leader Tony Abbott that her government still exists on the support of a tainted vote provided by Mr Thomson, Ms Gillard said that his Liberal counterpart appears to be playing a game that only exposes his hypocrisy.
"(Mr Abbott) has accepted a vote of someone who is charged with and subsequently found guilty of theft and assault, Ms Gillard recalled, referring to the case of South Australian Senator Mary Jo Fisher, who continued voting for the Coalition while dealing with her legal problems.