Billy Gordon
Billy Gordon | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly for Cook | |
| Assumed office 31 January 2015 | |
| Preceded by | David Kempton |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Innisfail, Queensland, Australia |
| Political party | Australian Labor Party (2013–2015) Independent (2015–present) |
| Website | http://www.billygordon.com.au |
William John "Billy" Gordon is an Australian politician. He has been the Labor member for Cook in the Queensland Legislative Assembly since 2015.[1] Gordon is one of the first indigenous members in a generation.[2]
In 2015, tip offs to the media led to Gordon publicly disclosing a criminal history dating back to the 1980s that he had not disclosed to his colleagues[3] including driving offences, break and entering offences, breach of bail and probation, and an apprehended violence order taken out by his mother. Gordon’s former de facto partner has accused him of domestic violence[4] and routinely not filing tax returns to avoid child support payments to his five children.[5]
In response Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk expelled Gordon from the Labor caucus, and has asked the state party's organizational wing to have Gordon expelled from the party altogether. Although Palaszczuk was well aware that the loss of Cook could potentially put her premiership in jeopardy, she said that given the circumstances, she had no other choice.[6]
In September 2015, Queensland Police dropped the domestic violence charges against Gordon, citing insufficient evidence to prosecute.[7] On the same day, police charged a woman with extortion for allegedly attempting to blackmail Gordon by claiming he had sent her an explicit image by SMS.[8]
References
- ^ Green, Antony. "Cook". Queensland Election 2015. Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
- ^ "MP Billy Gordon is the man who could crash the Queensland government". News.com.au. 29 March 2015.
- ^ "Billy Gordon: Queensland Labor thrown into turmoil after Cook MP admits to undisclosed criminal history". ABC News. 29 March 2015.
- ^ "Queensland MP Billy Gordon sacked from Labor party after allegations of domestic violence". ninemsn Pty Ltd. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
- ^ Steven Wardill (27 March 2015). "Former partner of new Labor MP Billy Gordon claims he has dodged child support payments". courier mail. News Corp. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
- ^ "Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk expels Cook MP Billy Gordon over criminal record". ABC News. 29 March 2015.
- ^ "Queensland MP Billy Gordon will face no charges over domestic violence allegations". The Guardian. 24 September 2015. Retrieved 25 September 2015.
- ^ "Billy Gordon: Woman charged with extorting Queensland MP". ABC News. 25 September 2015. Retrieved 25 September 2015.
External links
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