Campbell Newman and the LNP treated him like a dead dog.
Little did they realise that their abuse and torment of this man would come back to bite them in such a away that would keep the LNP out of government for at least three years - and possibly much longer.
But Peter Wellington has risen about that. He is man and a politician of decency and integrity.
When Peter Wellington takes his seat of Nicklin again in Parliament in March - either as Speaker or key Independent backbencher - rest assured that the bastardry meted out to him by the ghouls of the Liberal National Party from 2012 to 2015 will never be forgotten.
 |
| Peter Wellington - Queensland's next speaker? |
The Brisbane Times reports:
The most influential man in Queensland's Parliament – Sunshine Coast independent MP Peter Wellington – says he has learned lessons from his first stint as government kingmaker in 1998.
Then the newly-elected independent MP backed Labor to allow Peter Beattie to form government.
In 2015, the 57–year-old Peter Wellington will again back Labor – this time Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk – to give Labor the crucial 45th vote on the floor of Queensland's 89-seat Parliament.
Independent Member for Nicklin Peter Wellington says he has learned much since the first time he supported a Labor minority government. Photo: Harrison Saragossi
But he says he will no longer be the agony aunt for MPs hoping he can influence Labor to achieve wins in their electorate.
"Back in 1998 a lot of people were coming to me thinking I would solve all of their problems and they were not even going to see the relevant ministers or their local members," Mr Wellington said.
"And I've made it very clear this time that Annastacia Palaszczuk is the Premier, she has now announced who her ministers are," he said.
"And they are the people who are making the decisions for Queensland," he said.
Mr Wellington said he had offered his single vote to Ms Palaszczuk so there could be a stable government.
"And that one vote is to make sure that there can be no votes of 'no confidence' against her and that she can lead and govern as if she has a majority of 10."
After Queensland's 2015 election Labor has won 44 seats, the LNP 42 seats, Katter's Australian Party has two MP's – Rob Katter in Mt Isa and Shane Knuth in Dalrymple.
Mr Wellington is Queensland's sole independent MP, holding his seat of Nicklin on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland's 89-seat parliament.
He said he ran his 2015 independent campaign for $6000 and said he had asked for no specific promises from Labor to secure his vote.
Peter Wellington wants to continue with the Parliamentary Crime and Corruption Commission committee.
"Being a former policeman and a former solicitor I have an interest in that and I want to make sure our Crime and Corruption Commission is able to go wherever it chooses to go without having to get the approval from the Attorney General, or anybody else," Mr Wellington said.
"If they want to undertake research into matters about possible connections between donations and government decisions they should be able to go there without having to get any of the research vetted by the Attorney General."
Mr Wellington said he made his decision to support Labor based on four issues.
"To me, the election was about 'Did the people want the LNP, or did they want Labor'?" he said.
"One of those parties was going to lead Queensland and as it turned out, there are three people on the crossbenches – two Katters and myself – and I still don't know what the Katters have decided.
"But I made the decision that Annastacia was the better person to lead because of what she stands for and the issues I had in common with her during the last period in Opposition."
The issues include opposition to asset sales, a desire to reduce the dollar limit to make political donations public, a promise to investigate making electoral donations public "in real time" and amendments to the Crime and Corruption Commission.
He believed the leaders the LNP – Lawrence Springborg aside – did not deserve another chance at forming government, Mr Wellington said.
The independent MP said talk about him becoming Queensland Parliament's newest speaker was simply a hypothetical scenario.
"If it comes to pass that someone nominates me for Speaker I would accept the nomination," he said.
"But the decision is made by members of parliament and they have a secret ballot.
"I think it would be an honour and privilege to be a Speaker of Parliament – and an independent one at that.
"Liz Cunningham has been nominated several times and she wasn't fortunate. It would be interesting to see - if I was nominated - what the outcome would be.
Mr Wellington said he had made no promise to Labor other than giving them support against a vote of no confidence.
"If being nominated as Speaker comes to pass, it would be an honour. If it doesn't, then so be it."
Voting expert Professor Clive Bean from Queensland University of Technology said if he was a Labor strategist he would be targeting one of the two Katter's Australian Party MPs as Speaker.
"If I was the government that is what I would trying to do," Professor Bean said.
"But, that would carry its own risks as well because neither of them is a person with huge parliamentary experience and they are both much more of an unknown quantity," he said.
"Although the Speaker is by definition is supposedly playing a much more neutral role."
Professor Bean said having one of the two Katter's Australian Party MP as Speaker could make the government "uneasy and nervous".
"But, as I say, if I was a Labor strategist that's what I'd be aiming for."
"Because that would give them a majority on the floor every time there's a vote."
Professor Bean said Labor had to weigh up the options before asking Peter Wellington to become Speaker.
"It is not impossible," Professor Bean said.
"If they (Labor) nominate someone from within Labor ranks as Speaker they are down to 43 votes on the floor of parliament and they need his (Mr Wellington's) vote," Professor Bean said.
"If they nominate him (as Speaker), Labor has 44 votes on the floor, without his vote. But they would need his vote as a casting vote," he said.
Professor Bean said the two Katter's Australian Party MPs tended to vote against the government.
"If they do, then every time there is a vote on the floor it will be 44-all.
The question then is do they want their own MP in the 'casting vote' role knowing that every time they will vote with the government," he said.
"Or do they want Peter Wellington – a more neutral person – which will then give them a little bit more grunt on the floor in terms of their own members."
Katter's Australian Party leader Rob Katter said he had not been asked and was not interested in the Speaker's position.
"I wouldn't be interested – and I can't speak for Shane (Knuth) – but I don't think he would be interested in either," Mr Katter said.
"Because we're interested in making things happen and in development and jobs," he said.
"And that is not the best place to be (Speaker) if you are interested in those areas.
"So I wouldn't be the slightest bit interested in that role."
Then the newly-elected independent MP backed Labor to allow Peter Beattie to form government.
In 2015, the 57–year-old Peter Wellington will again back Labor – this time Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk – to give Labor the crucial 45th vote on the floor of Queensland's 89-seat Parliament.
Independent Member for Nicklin Peter Wellington says he has learned much since the first time he supported a Labor minority government. Photo: Harrison Saragossi
But he says he will no longer be the agony aunt for MPs hoping he can influence Labor to achieve wins in their electorate.
"Back in 1998 a lot of people were coming to me thinking I would solve all of their problems and they were not even going to see the relevant ministers or their local members," Mr Wellington said.
"And I've made it very clear this time that Annastacia Palaszczuk is the Premier, she has now announced who her ministers are," he said.
"And they are the people who are making the decisions for Queensland," he said.
Mr Wellington said he had offered his single vote to Ms Palaszczuk so there could be a stable government.
"And that one vote is to make sure that there can be no votes of 'no confidence' against her and that she can lead and govern as if she has a majority of 10."
After Queensland's 2015 election Labor has won 44 seats, the LNP 42 seats, Katter's Australian Party has two MP's – Rob Katter in Mt Isa and Shane Knuth in Dalrymple.
Mr Wellington is Queensland's sole independent MP, holding his seat of Nicklin on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland's 89-seat parliament.
He said he ran his 2015 independent campaign for $6000 and said he had asked for no specific promises from Labor to secure his vote.
Peter Wellington wants to continue with the Parliamentary Crime and Corruption Commission committee.
"Being a former policeman and a former solicitor I have an interest in that and I want to make sure our Crime and Corruption Commission is able to go wherever it chooses to go without having to get the approval from the Attorney General, or anybody else," Mr Wellington said.
"If they want to undertake research into matters about possible connections between donations and government decisions they should be able to go there without having to get any of the research vetted by the Attorney General."
Mr Wellington said he made his decision to support Labor based on four issues.
"To me, the election was about 'Did the people want the LNP, or did they want Labor'?" he said.
"One of those parties was going to lead Queensland and as it turned out, there are three people on the crossbenches – two Katters and myself – and I still don't know what the Katters have decided.
"But I made the decision that Annastacia was the better person to lead because of what she stands for and the issues I had in common with her during the last period in Opposition."
The issues include opposition to asset sales, a desire to reduce the dollar limit to make political donations public, a promise to investigate making electoral donations public "in real time" and amendments to the Crime and Corruption Commission.
He believed the leaders the LNP – Lawrence Springborg aside – did not deserve another chance at forming government, Mr Wellington said.
The independent MP said talk about him becoming Queensland Parliament's newest speaker was simply a hypothetical scenario.
"If it comes to pass that someone nominates me for Speaker I would accept the nomination," he said.
"But the decision is made by members of parliament and they have a secret ballot.
"I think it would be an honour and privilege to be a Speaker of Parliament – and an independent one at that.
"Liz Cunningham has been nominated several times and she wasn't fortunate. It would be interesting to see - if I was nominated - what the outcome would be.
Mr Wellington said he had made no promise to Labor other than giving them support against a vote of no confidence.
"If being nominated as Speaker comes to pass, it would be an honour. If it doesn't, then so be it."
Voting expert Professor Clive Bean from Queensland University of Technology said if he was a Labor strategist he would be targeting one of the two Katter's Australian Party MPs as Speaker.
"If I was the government that is what I would trying to do," Professor Bean said.
"But, that would carry its own risks as well because neither of them is a person with huge parliamentary experience and they are both much more of an unknown quantity," he said.
"Although the Speaker is by definition is supposedly playing a much more neutral role."
Professor Bean said having one of the two Katter's Australian Party MP as Speaker could make the government "uneasy and nervous".
"But, as I say, if I was a Labor strategist that's what I'd be aiming for."
"Because that would give them a majority on the floor every time there's a vote."
Professor Bean said Labor had to weigh up the options before asking Peter Wellington to become Speaker.
"It is not impossible," Professor Bean said.
"If they (Labor) nominate someone from within Labor ranks as Speaker they are down to 43 votes on the floor of parliament and they need his (Mr Wellington's) vote," Professor Bean said.
"If they nominate him (as Speaker), Labor has 44 votes on the floor, without his vote. But they would need his vote as a casting vote," he said.
Professor Bean said the two Katter's Australian Party MPs tended to vote against the government.
"If they do, then every time there is a vote on the floor it will be 44-all.
The question then is do they want their own MP in the 'casting vote' role knowing that every time they will vote with the government," he said.
"Or do they want Peter Wellington – a more neutral person – which will then give them a little bit more grunt on the floor in terms of their own members."
Katter's Australian Party leader Rob Katter said he had not been asked and was not interested in the Speaker's position.
"I wouldn't be interested – and I can't speak for Shane (Knuth) – but I don't think he would be interested in either," Mr Katter said.
"Because we're interested in making things happen and in development and jobs," he said.
"And that is not the best place to be (Speaker) if you are interested in those areas.
"So I wouldn't be the slightest bit interested in that role."
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/peter-wellington-most-powerful-man-in-queensland-politics-20150216-13ghou.html
