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Palaszczuk praised me before axing, MP

Rick Williams, who's been disendorsed by Labor, says he has recording of Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk praising his efforts as an MP

Dumped Labor Pumicestone MP Rick Williams in parliament
Queensland MP Rick Williams says Labor stopped him quitting four times. (AAP)

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Source: AAP


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Dumped Queensland Labor MP Rick Williams says he was talked out of quitting four times before the premier axed him last week and used him as a reason for calling an early state election.

Mr Williams is considering releasing a tape he says has Annastacia Palaszczuk praising his contribution as a local MP, the Courier-Mail reports on Wednesday.

He said he first offered to quit early in the first year of the minority Palaszczuk government after allegations emerged he had acted inappropriately in a financial dispute and had made a false police complaint against one of his neighbours.

"I actually said to them I won't cause you any more embarrassment, I'll go sit on the cross bench, and they said 'oh no, you don't need to do that'," Mr Williams said.

"I probably got talked out of doing that four times."

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Ms Palaszczuk on Saturday said she had spoken to Mr Williams several times about "arguments and fights" with people in his electorate and the latest complaint was the "final straw".

Mr Williams will now stand as an independent in his seat of Pumicestone - which is the most marginal in the state.

He said he would be preferencing Labor "down the bottom somewhere" at the November 25 election.

Labor and the LNP head into the election on 41 seats each, but 47 are needed for a majority government.


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