Embattled former Labor MP Billy Gordon has received some support from an unexpected quarter, with Katter's Australian Party saying it would work with the Cook MP and rejecting calls for him to immediately vacate his seat in Parliament.
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Mr Gordon, who was kicked out of the Labor Party this week over a failure to disclose his criminal record, has faced pressure from Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk to resign from Parliament, which would force a byelection in his far north Queensland electorate.
Mr Gordon has also faced allegations of domestic abuse, which Ms Palaszczuk referred to police, but came under fire from the opposition about the timing of her intervention.
The Premier said an email from Mr Gordon's ex-partner, sent on March 13, went to her department and she was not made aware of it until the weekend of March 18-19.
Opposition Leader Lawrence Springborg has accused Ms Palaszczuk of a "cover-up" and has said the controversy showed the minority Labor government, which depends on independent Speaker Peter Wellington's support, was not able to function.
But Katter's Australian Party state leader Rob Katter said Mr Gordon, who has been recovering from eye surgery this week, had a right to natural justice.
"Let the judicial process take its course," he said.
"We'll be seeking to work with him on the cross benches, as long as he remains there, simply to advance the cause of rural and regional Queensland.
"That's our focus and we're not deviating from that."
Mr Katter's position mirrored that of the Queensland Council of Civil Liberties.
QCCL president Michael Cope said the organisation was "gravely concerned" about the furore surrounding Mr Gordon.
"(Mr Gordon's) right to the presumption of innocence and to get on with his life having served his punishment is being ignored by the public," he said.
Mr Cope said Mr Gordon's criminal history, which he had failed to disclose to the Labor Party, did not disqualify him from sitting in Parliament.
He said domestic violence was a "scourge" in the community, but Mr Gordon still had the right to a presumption of innocence.
"The Premier rightly referred the allegations of domestic violence to the police," Mr Cope said.
"Until that process results in Mr Gordon being convicted of an offence which disqualifies him from being a member of Parliament, he is entitled to sit (in Parliament) and should be allowed to do so without hindrance."
Mr Springborg would require the support of the KAP to take government in the event of a byelection in Cook resulting in another LNP member.
Following Mr Gordon's expulsion from the ALP, Labor had 43 MPs in the 89-seat unicameral Parliament, the LNP had 42, KAP had two and there were two independents, Mr Gordon and Mr Wellington.
