MEMBER for Cook Billy Gordon has issued a statement saying he has not yet decided on his immediate future after being sacked from the Labor Party by Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk.

As Ms Palaszczuk’s minority Government was plunged into crisis by revelations of Mr Gordon’s criminal past, his statement was tonight tweeted by an ABC journalist:

Statement from @BillyGordonMP "I am presently weighing up my options... I am very concerned i should be afforded natural justice.." @abcnews — Jessica van Vonderen (@jessvanvonderen) March 29, 2015

Statement from @BillyGordonMP "I have a serious eye operation tomorrow & I need further time to consider my options, seek legal advice..." — Jessica van Vonderen (@jessvanvonderen) March 29, 2015

. @BillyGordonMP says he wants more time for discussions with family & supporters "I will not make further media comment at this time" — Jessica van Vonderen (@jessvanvonderen) March 29, 2015

Statement from @BillyGordonMP "I am very concerned at the impact this situation is having on my children who I love very much" — Jessica van Vonderen (@jessvanvonderen) March 29, 2015

Statement from @BillyGordonMP : Police Comm investigation into whether I transgressed any law should be allowed to run its natural course — Jessica van Vonderen (@jessvanvonderen) March 29, 2015

Without Mr Gordon’s support, Labor - which already relies on the support of Independent Speaker Peter Wellington - no longer has enough seats in Parliament to govern.

But Katter’s Australian Party state leader Robbie Katter said today he was “not in the business of tearing governments down” and wais holding talks with the embattled Government.

CLAIMS: Opposition accuses Premier of cover-up

CONFIDENCE: Palaszczuk survives marathon session

Mr Katter said he had been in talks with Labor about securing his party’s support in Parliament.

“We are making progress with the ALP, at the moment we’re not there, where we could show them support,” Mr Katter said.

“But we’d like to be optimistic about that because we don’t want to be in the business of tearing down governments every six months or every year.”

He wants Labor’s commitment on improving regional roads, water development, mandating ethanol in fuel and setting up a rural development bank.

Labor currently holds 43 seats, the Liberal National Party holds 42, KAP has two seats and the last two are held by Independent Speaker Peter Wellington and Mr Gordon.

The opposition LNP has already promised to act on the KAP’s key issues, Mr Katter said.

He added that he predicted his party would hold a powerful position.

“We said from the start in these hung parliament negotiations that we were pretty sure there was going to be some hiccups along the road,” Mr Katter said.

“That’s why we always felt we’d be in a powerful position which ever way the cards fell.”

Earlier, it was reported Queensland’s fledgling Labor Government was on the brink of collapse after Ms Palaszczuk sacked Mr Gordon.

Ms Palaszczuk revealed she had torn up the Labor membership of Mr Gordon amid revelations over his violent and criminal past.

The Premier has demanded Mr Gordon quit Parliament however it will be up to the MP whether he stays or goes.

The decision effectively strips Labor of the numbers needed in Parliament.

“Today it has been revealed about the Member for Cook’s past - a past that isn’t pleasant and a past that was kept from me and the deputy premier,’’ she said.

“I am appalled, I am shocked and I feel sick to the stomach.

“The member for Cook has let me down. He has let the deputy Premier down, he has let the party down, he has let my government down, he has let the people of Queensland down.

“I have always maintained integrity is fundamental to any government I lead.

“Today I am prepared to put my premiership on the line.

“This is a very serious issue. Just half an hour ago, I spoke to the member for Cook. I told him, very clearly that, today I would be writing to the state secretary to expel him from the state Labor party.

“Secondly I told the member for Cook he would not be sitting with the state Labor parliamentary team. I also told the member for Cook, in the best interests of the party, in the best interests of the

parliament and in the best interests of Queensland, he shouold resign as a member of parliament.”

Earlier

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has stripped Member for Cook Bill Gordon’s Labor membership and demanded he quit Parliament.

Acknowledging she was putting her premiership on the line, Ms Palaszczuk said she was extremely disappointed by Mr Gordon’s actions.

“I have made it very clear he does not meet me standards and does not meet Queensland’s standards,” she said.

“I’m putting my premiership in the line.”

“He was dishonest with me. If you look me in the face and be dishonest, there is no second chance.”

Ms Palaszczuk said Mr Gordon was extremely upset at her decision.

She said the Labor Party needed to thoroughly review its selection processes.

The ball is now in Bill Gordon’s court, the Premier has called on him to resign his commission from parliament.

If he does resign there will need to be a by-election held in the seat of Cook.

The far north Queensland electorate includes Port Douglas, Mossman, Cooktown, the aboriginal, mining and pastoral communities of the Cape and all of the Torres Strait Islands. West of Cairns, Mareeba and Chillagoe on the Atherton Tableland also fall within the Cook electorate.

The seat is recognised as a strong Labor electorate. Labor temporarily lost the seat in 1974 after National candidate and indigenous Australian, Eric Deeral, won the seat. Deeral lost his seat after one term. In recent years Labor has seen swings both for and against them.

Jason O’Brien held the seat for Labor from 2004 until Bill Gordon won the seat at the election on January 31.

Earlier...

Queensland Speaker Peter Wellington has told the ABC he still supports the Labor Government, but has called on embattled MP Billy Gordon to resign and a by-election held in Cook.

“My position has not changed,” he said when asked if he still supported the Palaszczuk Government.

“I believe (Mr Gordon) should step down and there should be a by-election.

“But he has to make that decision,” Mr Wellington said.

The Labor Government was last night in crisis as troubled rookie MP Billy Gordon admitted a string of undeclared criminal offences, including a violence order.

Mr Gordon, Member for Cook and one of the first indigenous members elected for a generation, admitted to what he called “serious contact with the criminal justice system”.

It included an apprehended violence order after a complaint made by his mother as well as break and enter, breach bail and unlicensed driving.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk was forced on Friday night to refer Mr Gordon to police amid allegations he abused a former partner during their relationship a decade ago.

Ms Palaszczuk now faces the decision whether to end Mr Gordon’s part in her Government, a move that could also see her lose her own job.

With her control of the ­Parliament hanging on the vote of Independent Peter Wellington, kicking out Mr Gordon could see her Government collapse.

Ms Palaszczuk said last night she was “very disappointed” Mr Gordon had not disclosed his full criminal history at the appropriate time during preselection.

“I am furious,’’ she said.

“Today I ordered the state secretary and president to ask Mr Gordon about all of the criminal allegations being levelled and whether there was any information that he believed had not been made public or should have been made public.

“It was his last chance to disclose everything that was relevant.’’

The Premier said she would now consider all the information contained in the disclosure statement.

“I will consider his statement and determine what needs to be done,” she said.

Opposition Leader Lawrence Springborg last night said the Premier had no choice but to sack Mr Gordon.

“The question now is will she accept his vote from the crossbenches,’’ he said.

“The majority of Queenslanders will now agree that Billy Gordon is unsuitable to be a member of State Parliament.

“I believe we also have a character issue with the Premier. She has covered this up.’’

Following a report in The Courier-Mail on Friday that Mr Gordon had dodged child support payments and tax returns, Ms Palaszczuk told Parliament her MP had rectified the situation and “the issue had been dealt with”.

However, the correspondence received by Ms Palaszczuk’s office concerning the child support and tax issues also included the allegations of abuse and intimidation.

Mr Gordon’s former partner alleged he repeatedly hit her.

“On another occasion, we stopped at the traffic light and he punched me in a rage,” she claimed.

“On another occasion, he punched me so hard I hit my head on the side window of the car and was knocked unconscious. He became very angry and backhanded me across the shoulder. I was shocked and asked him why he did that. He just told me to ‘shut my f---ing mouth’.

“We argued and he hit me. It was the same old thing and I told him I was going back to Innisfail and he could talk to me there.

“I found him in the kitchen late one night sharpening knives with some weird TV program going in the background. I asked him what he was doing and (he) told me ‘just go back to bed’. I was very scared.”

There are also questions over when the Premier was first informed of the allegations, after she wrote to Police Commissioner Ian Stewart saying she had forwarded the details to Labor head office immediately after getting them on March 18.

The Sunday Mail has obtained correspondence sent to the Premier on March 13 – two weeks before the police referral – in which Mr Gordon’s former partner details the abuse claims and the child support needed for their two children, aged 12 and eight.

“I would be pleased if you could look into this for me as I have nowhere else to go,’’ the woman wrote.

The MP said there were no excuses for his behaviour, but detailed a difficult childhood.

“Throughout my life I have had to overcome many challenges and adversities. In particular as a young indigenous boy,’’ Mr Gordon said.

“Growing up in a family that had its challenges and was far from perfect where both my mother and father struggled daily to keep the family ­together and put the basics in the household.

“I remember wishing as (a) young person that I had grown up with a ‘normal’ nuclear family. Unfortunately that wasn’t the case. Growing up I remember spending a lot of time wanting what other kids had, like shoes, bikes, footballs etc.

“One of the things that I do remember wishing for the most, even into my years as a teenager, was for a perfect ­father figure.”

Full statement by Member for Cook Billy Gordon

I want to firstly apologise to the people of Cook, the Premier and the ALP for failing to appropriately disclose parts of my criminal history.

Over the last couple of days, details of my personal life have been made public.

Issues ranging from failure to lodge tax returns, failure to pay appropriate child support and most significantly allegations of domestic violence. I have worked hard to rectify outstanding taxations and child-support issues.

In relation to allegations of domestic violence, the Premier has referred this matter to the Queensland Police Commissioner for investigation.

I welcome this investigation and will provide it with full co-operation.

The last couple of days have been a tremendous strain on my family and I.

I have been extremely concerned about my children throughout this period as any father would be in this situation.

Throughout my life I have had to overcome many challenges and adversities. In particular as a young indigenous boy.

Growing up in a family that had its challenges and was far from perfect where both my mother and father struggled daily to keep the family together and put the basics in the household.

I remember wishing as (a) young person that I had grown up with a “normal” nuclear family.

Unfortunately that wasn’t the case. Growing up I remember spending a lot of time wanting what other kids had, like shoes, bikes, footballs etc. One of the things that I do remember wishing for the most, even into my years as a teenager, was for a perfect father figure, especially since as a young man I also had serious contact with the criminal justice system.

This contact has included being charged and convicted with:

• Breaking, entering and stealing in 1987 in Innisfail.

• Breaking and entering with intent, attempted breaking and entering and stealing in 1990 in Atherton.

• Breach of probation in 1992 in Atherton.

• Public nuisance in 1996 in Normanton.

• Breach of bail conditions in 1999 (stemming from not attending a court summons from the 1996 incident).

In addition, I have twice had my driver’s licence suspended for unlicensed driving (2004 and 2008).

Finally, in 2008 I was served with an Appre­hended Violence Order as a result of a complaint by my mother.

My mother at the time was concerned that I was going to return to a relationship with an ex-partner (we were at said ex-partner’s residence) and I asked her to leave in a manner that she found threatening. My mother has confirmed to me that there were no ­allegations of physical violence made with respect to this incident.

This AVO was never heard in court, and does not form part of my criminal record, however I provide its details now for completeness.

I recognise that my own personal circumstances are no excuse for my non disclosure, however from this troubled and fractured past I’ve managed to piece together a positive and constructive life. That includes serving in the Army Reserves (51st Battalion), volunteering with the Foundation for Young Australian as a Facilitation (sic) their Indigenous Youth Leadership forum and working for Reconciliation as the organisation’s Education Officer, before being elected to the Queensland Parliament.