The Deputy Premier of Queensland, Jackie Trad, and Queensland Housing Minister, Mick de Brenni, have had official complaints lodged against them by Cairns MP Rob Pyne, in regards to some pretty brutal (alleged) bullying the pair subjected him to during his time in the Labor Party.
According to Pyne, Trad called him a “disloyal cunt” at least twice during a phone call about how local government issues were being handled. From context it seems like she probably didn’t mean “mate”, unlike every other time a Queenslander has used the word.
The complains against de Brenni get even heavier, with Pyne (who is quadriplegic and confined to a wheelchair) accusing him of, at one point, physically blocking him from entering a press conference.
On another occasion de Brenni (allegedly) moved a microphone away from him and turned it off, to prevent him from making a statement in response to a statement Trad had given.
Another (again, alleged) incident saw him menace Pyne with a cricket bat and, when asked if he was going to hit Pyne, say that he wished he could sometimes.
Pyne was initially not going to make a complaint out of fear of reprisal, but said that he felt compelled:
“The standard we walk past is the standard we accept and this is not acceptable in any workplace.”
Trad has refuted his version of events, claiming instead that the two of them had “robust conversations”, which might be true if your idea of “robust” is calling a coworker a cunt.
Source: Brisbane Times.
Photo: Facebook.
