Queensland Opposition Leader Lawrence Springborg has escaped being referred to the parliamentary ethics committee for releasing confidential child support documents related to Billy Gordon.
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The Member for Cook wrote to Speaker Peter Wellington over the release of the documents to the media on April 23, ahead of an A Current Affair interview with his former partner.
The documents showed at one point, Mr Gordon was more than $5000 in arrears, and at another he was more than $700 in arrears. The documents also showed the names of two of his children, which is a potential breach of federal law.
Mr Springborg's office released the documents as a "background briefing", to back the Opposition Leader's claims the matter was not over.
Mr Gordon wrote to the Speaker the next week, asking for Mr Springborg to be referred to the powerful ethics committee over the release of the documents, alleging the LNP leader had "improperly interfered with the free performance" of his duties as a member of Parliament.
But under the rules which guide parliament, the same ones which mean Mr Gordon can remain as a member despite the allegations against him, Mr Wellington found no grounds to pass the matter on.
"In his correspondence the Member for Cook offered no explanation beyond the assertion itself of how the Leader of the Opposition's conduct has improperly interfered with the Member for Cook's free performance of his duties as a member," Mr Wellington said.
"In the absence of any explanation as to how the alleged conduct might constitute a contempt I have decided that I will not be referring the matter to the Ethics Committee."
As for the potential breach of law, Mr Wellington said that was not for him to decide.
"I note that my role is simply to decide whether there is a matter of privilege which should be referred to the ethics committee, whether the same actions constitute an offence under the Commonwealth legislation is a matter for the Commonwealth agencies," he said.
Earlier the LNP stated its intention to write to Mr Wellington over allegations the Labor Member for Pumicestone, Rick Williams, misled parliament during his maiden speech.
Glasshouse MP Andrew Powell alleged Mr Williams said the LNP had not made the study regarding the Bribie Island Bridge corridor public in his first speech - Mr Powell pointed to a page on the Transport and
Main Roads website and a Brisbane Times article as proof the LNP had not kept it secret.
Mr Wellington said he "looked forward" to receiving the letter.
