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

Today I was informed of the significant distress experienced by two of my constituents in my electorate as a result of my online commentary with them. They are both highly regarded individuals within our Redland community. I both acknowledge and commend their contribution to my city. I want to unreservedly apologise to both Ms Huelet and Ms Russo. I express my regret and deep apologies for the hurt and distress that that communication may have caused. Today in this House I want to retract those comments and issue an unreserved public apology.

There are many lessons for me in this experience—not just about words but about the impact words can have on others. I have made a concerted effort to understand the impact of these responses on others and to demonstrate a clear change in the way I communicate. I want to say to any person who has received correspondence from me which fell short of what they expect from an MP that I intend to own that failure and apologise without hesitation.