Queensland's sole One Nation MP has apologised to state parliament after guests he brought into the chamber were caught sorting through objects in the desks of other politicians.
Mirani MP Stephen Andrew on Tuesday told the House he was unreservedly sorry after a group he was supervising went through the desk compartments of other MPs.
"I did not condone any of the behaviour of the people that was there, it was utterly unacceptable and I did ask people to stop," he said.
"It was a dark evening, there was nothing actually looked at.
"The flipping of the lids did occur, there was no paperwork or anything looked at, just to make that totally clear."
He acknowledged MPs had a right to privacy for their chamber desks and its contents.
"Visitors under my supervision interfered with members privacy and I must take responsibility for this," he added.
He has been barred by Speaker Curtis Pitt from bringing guests into parliament for six months.
At a later press conference, Mr Andrew said he brought 14 people into the chamber, but stressed he did not know all of them.
He said some of them may have been members of One Nation and the group arrived at Parliament after drinking "a couple of bottles of wine", according to ABC.
He had attended the One Nation Annual General Meeting earlier in the day.
Politicians are on Tuesday set to start debating proposed anti-protest laws that activists and unionists say go too far, but which the resources sector wants the state government to expand.
Six hours has been set aside to go over the state government's crackdown on devices it claims could cause harm to the people using them and the emergency services personnel removing them.
The devices include complex contraptions known as the Dragon's Den or the Sleeping Dragon, but exclude household items like rope, glue, bike locks, chains and padlocks.
The MP for Mirani said he was unreservedly sorry about the group’s behaviour. Source: Supplied / One Nation
The government has taken issue with these devices because they are being used in mass environmental demonstrations that have repeatedly shut down the Brisbane CBD.
Other items known as mono-poles and tripods, used by protesters to stop coal trains, are also captured in the Bill.
People who use them have been described by Police Minister Mark Ryan as "extremists" with no regard for the law or the people who can't get to work on time when they repeatedly stop traffic.
Use of the devices is a key tactic during Extinction Rebellion rallies, with protesters gluing themselves to the road, locking their necks to metal barriers with bike locks or attaching themselves to each other with a Sleeping Dragon.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk believes some lock-on devices are dangerous because they are being filled with glass or butane gas containers that could hurt people.
Protesters have denied this is happening, while legal and rights groups who made submissions during the consultation process also say that claim hasn't been proven.
They have also pointed to existing police powers to search and seize the devices, despite Mr Ryan saying that aspect is the key part of the Bill.
With AAP.
