Andrew Laming (Bowman, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

A fracas broke out in the 'city of islands' over the weekend, when two constituents had the temerity to place an 'It's okay to vote no' sign on the external glass window of a state Labor MP in the city. Most people would have smiled and said: 'Let democracy and freedom of expression reign. Let both sides' points of view be articulated.' Alas, no. We had a Labor state MP calling it vandalism and defacement of taxpayer property. We felt, I think, in the city that this was a completely hysterical, over-the-top reaction from someone who should welcome both sides of the debate.

Many people in here have strong views. We can see wincing over there from one of the members on the other side. And there are others who hold strong views, yes and no. I think it's important to allow this ABS vote to proceed without angst. We certainly don't need Labor MPs kicking it along, alleging vandalism and defacement of taxpayer property. It was putting up a sign with a bit of Blu Tack and a bit of a smudge on the glass. The sign was promptly removed after a photo was taken. Can we all move on and not kick this kind of aggravation along? I can see a lot of agreement from the Labor Party side as well. The member for Capalaba, Don Brown, clearly lets down his own party by not simply saying to a couple of constituents who want to make a point that both sides are okay. It was a grievous overreaction, as we saw on social media over the weekend.

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