Former crossbencher Billy Gordon has been tearfully remembered for his brief however historic contribution to Queensland politics.
Mr Gordon, who suffered a deadly coronary heart assault aged 49 on November 25, was commemorated in a condolence movement in state parliament on Thursday.
A Barbarrum man from the western tablelands of far north Queensland, Mr Gordon was one of many first three Indigenous MPs ever elected within the state when he gained the seat of Cook dinner for Labor in 2015.
Earlier than getting into politics as a Labor MP, he had labored as a cane cutter, a bartender, a development labourer, a social employee, a cleaner, as a public servant, within the airline trade and had served within the Australian Military.
Transport Minister Mark Bailey is definite Mr Gordon had lived a much more various life than any present MP within the state.
“We’d like folks like that on this home, democracy wants folks like that on this home,” he instructed parliament.
“In an informed period, individuals who have been to the college of arduous knocks do not get by as a lot, however Billy did.”
Nevertheless, two months after being elected Mr Gordon was sacked from the get together by Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk over his undisclosed felony historical past.
He moved to the crossbench the place he held the steadiness of energy in what grew to become a hung parliament till the 2017 election.
Mr Gordon had an instrumental position in passing legal guidelines to finish sand mining on North Stradbroke Island, or Minjerribah, regardless of being closely lobbied, and being a fierce advocate for Indigenous Queenslanders and other people working within the sugar trade.
Labor backbencher Don Brown mentioned again when he had requested Mr Gordon to help a invoice to wind up sand mining on the island, the Cook dinner MP instructed him to not fear as a result of he would “all the time again the Conventional Homeowners”.
“And I really feel responsible to at the present time even asking as a result of he stood rock stable,” Mr Brown sobbed.
Katter’s Australian Get together MP Shane Knuth praised Mr Gordon for backing a personal member’s invoice to permit cane growers to decide on which market to promote their product to.
“He mentioned that ‘my father lower cane’, he mentioned ‘I lower cane’, it is a good invoice, it takes care of the farmers and the employees, I’ll again the invoice,” Mr Knuth mentioned.
“And that grew to become the eighth personal member’s invoice that was ever handed in Queensland’s historical past and I actually imagine that many Queenslanders are higher off after the three years that Billy had served right here.”
A gentle coronary heart assault in February 2016 required Mr Gordon to endure surgical procedure and spend time away from parliament.
In July of that yr, he was fined $750 and banned from getting behind the wheel for 4 months after he was caught driving nearly twice the authorized alcohol restrict.
Mr Gordon dropped out of the 2017 election race and endorsed Labor candidate Cynthia Lui, a Lamalaig girl of the Kulkalgal nation within the Torres Strait.
Mr Brown and fellow Labor backbencher Peter Russo have been moved to tears recalling their former colleague’s loyalty to the get together lengthy after he had moved to the crossbench.
Mr Bailey additionally remembered how Mr Gordon was all the time up for a chat and a drink, and the way he would say: “see ya comrade” lengthy after he joined the crossbench.
“He made an actual distinction right here within the brief time that he was right here, I hope he knew that. Clearly, I do know many individuals will miss him,” Mr Bailey trembled.
“He was a trailblazer, an excellent pal, and an excellent comrade.”
