Labor frontbencher Grace Grace apologises after committee's contempt finding

Queensland parliament's ethics committee has recommended that Labor frontbencher Grace Grace be found in contempt, following a dispute with Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie. The committee's findings, tabled Friday, call for Grace to offer an "unequivocal apology to the House" over alleged incidents during a sitting week last year.

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I will get you

The conflict arose on December 10 when Grace, the shadow industrial relations minister, accused Bleijie of making threatening remarks, specifically "I will get you," while pointing at her. Bleijie denied these claims, stating he said, "Don't bully me. I am not bullying you. That is not true."

Grace asserted she felt threatened and requested the speaker rule on the disorderly conduct. Speaker Pat Weir, who did not directly hear the comments, advised her to write to him. The following day, Grace told parliament she believed Bleijie had threatened her after reviewing footage, emphasizing, "Everyone deserves to feel safe in their workplace."

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Don't bully me. I am not bullying you. That is not true.

Weir suggested both members had engaged in "quarrelling in the chamber" and offered them an opportunity to apologize and withdraw their words. Bleijie complied, apologizing and withdrawing. However, Grace refused, stating she believed she had nothing to apologize for and that the Deputy Premier had threatened her, demanding further investigation.

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Everyone deserves to feel safe in their workplace.

The ethics committee investigated the alleged quarrelling and Grace's refusal to apologize. While acknowledging Bleijie's words were threatening, the committee found they did not meet the threshold for contempt. It concluded that Grace could have apologized for the quarrelling without prejudice to her right to pursue an alleged contempt, and her failure to do so interfered with the Assembly's free exercise of its authority.

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quarrelling in the chamber