Former premier apologises for contempt of parliament
A former state premier has been forced to apologize to parliament for the second time after being found guilty of insult in a rare ruling.
Queensland Opposition Leader Steven Miles has issued an unreserved apology after it was revealed he misled the state parliament.
Mr Miles told parliament in February 2025 that Deputy Prime Minister Jarrod Bleijie had declared no conflict of interest regarding a property on the Sunshine Coast.
The Labor leader accused Mr Bleijie of failing to disclose that the property at Kawana Waters was adjacent to the proposed railway line extension.
But Mr Bleijie said the property had been declared in his own interest register since 2021, forcing Mr Miles to back down.
Mr Miles first apologized to parliament for the allegation in April 2025.
This was not enough for Mr Bleijie, who referred Mr Miles to parliament’s Ethics Committee, along with deputy opposition leader Cameron Dick and industrial relations spokeswoman Grace Grace.
Although no findings were made against Mr Dick or Ms Grace, the committee found Mr Miles to be disrespectful for misleading the house and judged his initial apology to be vague.
The report was presented to parliament on Thursday, forcing him to make a second apology.
Mr Miles said: “I accept the findings of the report. I offer my unreserved, sincere and unequivocal apologies from the house.”
Mr Bleijie immediately went on the attack, accusing the former prime minister of being unfit to serve as leader of the opposition.
“Steven Miles deliberately lied to parliament,” he said in response.
Prime Minister David Crisafulli also weighed in, telling parliament it was “extraordinary” and a “historic and sad day in Queensland’s political history”.
It comes after the LNP and Labor battled fiercely over integrity issues ahead of a crucial by-election in Stafford, north of Brisbane, on Saturday.
Labor referred Olympic Minister Tim Mander and Families and Child Safety Minister Amanda Camm to the Crime and Corruption Commission over whether they properly declared and managed conflicts of interest arising from personal relationships.
