Federal Liberal MP Andrew Laming accused of online harassment by state Labor MP Kim Richards
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A state Labor MP has come forward with further allegations of online harassment by Liberal backbencher Andrew Laming, including a bizarre $100 reward he allegedly offered to help him identify people the MP was seen with in public.
Kim Richards, the member for Redlands, which overlaps with Laming’s seat of Bowman in Queensland, told Guardian Australia Laming had published a photo of her accompanied with an apparent slur that she had “no reason to be in a kids’ park” as part of what she described as a long-running campaign against her.
Richards also questioned the sincerity of Laming’s apology in federal parliament on Thursday, given the long history of his constituents complaining about online abuse and a message he sent after the apology saying he had done it willingly “in this climate”, although he “didn’t even know what” he was doing it for.
Laming told Guardian Australia he had withdrawn the comments and reiterated that his apology was sincere. He rejected suggestions he had stalked Richards around the electorate, but offered her a “personally written apology” as part of efforts to make amends to “anyone who may have felt hurt and distress”.
On Thursday Channel Nine news first revealed Laming had accused one woman of misappropriating charity funds, leading to her contemplating taking her own life.
Related: Federal Liberal MP Andrew Laming apologises for online treatment of two Brisbane women
The report said he had also targeted another woman, Sheena Hewlett, and her husband Lance, a local councillor, for six years with online abuse that she said had left her fearful and distressed.
Before the allegations aired, Laming expressed “regret and deep apologies for the hurt and the distress that communication may have caused”.
In addition to unreservedly apologising to those two women, Laming said: “To any person who has received correspondence from me which fell short of what they expect from an MP, that I intend to own that failure and apologise without hesitation.”
Richards told Guardian Australia that Laming had sent her a handwritten note promising that after her election in 2017 his criticism would be “directed at your government, rather than you personally”.
But in the years since, she said that Laming had engaged in a “long-running” campaign of “bullying and harassing” behaviour, resulting in her blocking him on social media.
Facebook posts by Laming, seen by Guardian Australia, include memes mocking up Richards as a pirate and depicting her in a cartoon with the name “Skimmy” – which she interpreted as an attempt to fat-shame her – and accusing her of posing for infrastructure announcements but failing to deliver.
“In one case … on his private social media he offered to give $100 to the charity of a person’s choice, if they could locate where I was,” she said.
In that post, Laming asked where Richards was on Valentine’s Day, displaying a photo of Richards with five associates, two named and three with faces obscured.
“Who were the three people with them and why,” Laming asked. “Please ask Kim. $100 donation to your chosen charity if she provides-(photo for display only).”
On another occasion, Laming posted a photo of her in a park with the caption: “Most awkward thing ever. Kim Richards with no reason to be in a kids’ park escorted around by the Hewletts, desperate to talk to anyone.”
Richards interpreted the post as implying she was “creepy for being in the park” and didn’t have kids, despite the fact she has a 20-year-old son.
Laming told Guardian Australia he “rejects the accusation of stalking”. According to Laming, he took a photo of his family and “Ms Richards was in the background”.
“At this event, Ms Richards and a Labor councillor from outside the division were at the park shortly after its opening, wrongfully taking credit for the park development in the absence of the independent councillor that funded it,” he said.
In October 2020, Richards hit back in an online post, labelling Laming “a creep” and accusing him of inciting “hatred and division” after he called her “Queensland Labor’s most evasive and dishonest MP”.
Since his apology to parliament on Thursday, Guardian Australia has seen a Facebook message from Laming to a constituent in which he said he was “actually surprised by the response” to the Channel Nine story.
“In this climate – I willingly apologise – I didn’t even know what for at 4pm when I did it.”
Since mid-February the Morrison government has struggled with its handling of allegations of violence and harassment of women – starting with the alleged sexual assault of Brittany Higgins by a fellow Liberal staffer in the defence minister’s office, through to an accusation Christian Porter sexually assaulted a 16-year-old when he was 17 in January 1988. Porter strenuously denies the allegation.
Richards questioned Laming’s sincerity, saying his statement was “not much of an apology” given he apparently didn’t know what he was apologising for.
On Friday Morrison said he had called Laming into his office, told him to apologise and “deal with it”. Asked if he would take a “zero tolerance” approach to the backbencher, Morrison replied Laming is “very clear about my expectations”.
Richards claimed constituents had written to the prime minister’s office complaining about Laming’s behaviour before but never had a response. “Why is he claiming to show zero tolerance now? Why not for all the years he’s known?”
Earlier on Friday, the Labor leader, Anthony Albanese, said that Morrison had “got out the feather” to punish Laming.
Albanese told reporters in Adelaide that Laming’s apology was “belated”. He noted it came after complaints about behaviour “that has gone on for year after year against people who have done nothing more, according to Andrew Laming, than be upstanding citizens in their community”.
“Quite frankly, the prime minister’s response is totally inadequate, as it always is.
“In my view, Andrew Laming isn’t fit to continue as a member of parliament, and if the Liberal party want to continue to associate themselves with him as what a federal public representative would be, then I’ll look forward to campaigning with the Labor candidate in that seat.”
Laming said he “completely rejects Mr Albanese’s comments, but wishes to reiterate the regret for the hurt and distress caused”.
Guardian Australia approached Morrison’s office for comment.