I have sent a detailed response to Katter’s Australian Party regarding a media statement it issued stating that my membership had been suspended.
In summary, this suspension is invalid and must be publicly overturned by the Management Committee for the following reasons:
- Constitutionally, the Management Committee can only suspend a member for undermining the Party’s core values and principles. No one has yet been able to produce any statement showing I have done so.
- Additionally, according to the constitution, complaints against a member must be made in writing and the member is to be given natural justice. No complaint has been made and I have not had an opportunity to respond to any concerns. There can be no decision to suspend membership unless this process is followed.
- It is unjust to punish any person for doing what is morally right. I have stood up for Christian values in the last week. It is the right thing to do by God, and by the Party, which according to its own constitution states that Australian society and government is founded on Christian values.
- It is hypocritical of the Party to suspend my membership for two reasons:
- other members have issued public statements and have not been suspended, including the two candidates who I supported.
- the majority of the members of Management Committee agree with my statements but are too cowardly to back them up publicly.
- The Party has made a serious political mistake by failing to stand up against political correctness and has thrown away an opportunity to differentiate itself from its opposition.
- Despite suggestions otherwise, I have breached no guidelines or protocols because no such directives have ever been written or issued to members. Furthermore, none can be written that would remove a member’s right to speak in accordance with the Party’s core values and principles.
I have requested that the Party publicly state that this suspension is invalid and confirm that my nomination for the senate remains under active consideration.
I have also request that the Party confirm to all members that they will continue to have the right to speak with their conscience and in the interests of their electorate, consistent with the Party’s core values and principles.
Finally, I requested that the Party provide me the courtesy of formally informing me as to the reasons of my supposed suspension and why it has failed to do so when it advised the media of its decision almost one week ago.
