Liberal-National MP rebels against Crisafulli on abortion

A Liberal-National MP defied Premier David Crisafulli’s ploy to control far-right figures in the government’s party room by crossing the floor in a bid to reverse a debate gag on the termination of pregnancy.

In the weeks following the 2024 Queensland election, Crisafulli stunned parliament with a motion banning any bills or debate on abortion laws after the issue threatened to derail his party’s campaign.

The motion, which was passed at the time with his party’s support, banned any bill or amendment to the termination of pregnancy act as well as any motion or amendment “seeking to have this house express its views” on the laws.

On Tuesday, crossbench MP Robbie Katter, the state leader of Katter’s Australian Party and vocal advocate of restricting access to abortion, sought parliament’s approval to move a motion he had flagged would reverse Crisafulli’s gag.

The vote was supported by the crossbench as well as the Labor opposition but rejected by most of the LNP members – except for member for Mackay Nigel Dalton.

With the support of government MPs, the bid to reverse the gag was comfortably beaten but Dalton’s defiance could signal a crucial turning point for the premier’s control of the party room.

The Mackay MP told reporters his motivation for crossing the floor was that abortion reform was a “deeply personal” issue but refused to elaborate further when asked a series of questions.

During the 2024 election, Crisafulli was dogged for his vague and repeated assurance that changing abortion laws was “not part of our plan”.

At the time, Labor launched a fierce campaign warning the LNP leader would be lobbied by his own backbench MPs, who had previously spoken publicly about a desire to repeal Queensland’s abortion laws.

Tuesday’s incident in parliament will likely reignite the same attack lines but Crisafulli said the nonexistence of abortion reform since the election was proof the government would not amend the legislation.

“The position we took to the election has been overwhelmingly reaffirmed,” the premier told reporters at parliament.

“That, in my mind, puts to bed another one of those Labor Party scare campaigns for the second time.”

Labor’s shadow attorney-general Meaghan Scanlon said Dalton’s move only confirmed her party’s campaign.

“David Crisafulli has members of his cabinet, of his team, who do not believe in abortion laws in Queensland,” she said.

“Crisafulli himself voted to keep abortion a crime, and now he wants everyone to think that he suddenly changed his mind and that all of his members of parliament are progressives. Well, that was shattered today.”

Dalton revealed his intention to cross the floor in a meeting with the premier on Monday, Crisafulli said, when the Mackay MP was told not to break ranks in voting against the government.

Despite defying the orders, Crisafulli said the backbencher would not be reprimanded.

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