Queensland Greens MP Amy MacMahon said she is “making the most of her day out of parliament”, after the Labor party and the LNP voted to ban her for one day from the Queensland parliament.
On Tuesday, the Queensland parliament found MacMahon in contempt and motioned for the Member for South Brisbane to be banned from parliament for “disrupting the orderly conduct of the business of the House”.
“I will not be apologising for fighting for Queenslanders,” she said in Parliament on Tuesday.
“I will not be apologising for fighting to put more money in the pockets of Queenslanders than in the pockets of the gas corporations, the property developers and the big banks.
“Every Queenslander has come to expect both Labor and the LNP to put big corporations first and everyday Queenslanders a distant last.”
For her refusal to apologise, Speaker of the House Curtis Pitt ordered her to leave the chamber.
Later, MacMahon posted a statement on X responding to the incident in Parliament.
“I was elected to get in here and fight tooth and nail for everyday Queenslanders, and that’s exactly what I’ve done,” she wrote.
“Labor and the LNP voted together to say that unless I apologise for tabling these Bills, I’ll be excluded from Parliament for a day.
“But if anyone should be apologising, it’s the politicians in Labor and in the LNP who have failed Queenslanders.”
Last year, MacMahon introduced a Bill to tax Australian gas companies, who in 2021-2022 accrued more than $40 billion in profits. Passing of the Bill meant Queenslanders would receive $500 to help people struggling in the cost of living crisis, particularly in the lead-up to Christmas.
The Queensland Greens MP also tabled the Big Bank Levy Bill, suggesting to impose a 0.05 per cent tax per quarter on five of the biggest Queensland banks. MacMahon said the tax would raise $1.03 billion every year, which would go towards healthcare funding.
The third Bill that MacMahon tabled was the Empty Homes Levy Bill. Despite the housing crisis, the Queensland Greens said 87,000 homes across Queensland are vacant. The Bill would tax the “wealthy investors” who own the homes 5 per cent on the value of a residential property that has been vacant for six months in a year.
“We’re in the middle of a housing crisis. A cost-of-living crisis. Our schools and hospitals are underfunded and struggling. Rents are skyrocketing and vacancy rates are at rock-bottom,” she wrote in her statement on X.
“Every politician in the Queensland parliament should be doing everything they can to fight for Queenslanders and push back against the corporations that are ripping off Queenslanders and making huge profits while people suffer.”
MacMahon accused other members in the Queensland parliament of preferring to “debate whether I should be allowed to table Bills” than protecting and fighting for the constituents which they represent.
“Our broken political system penalises anyone who dares to stand up to the big corporations and genuinely fight for Queenslanders. But me, and every other Greens MP, will not apologise for fighting for everyday people,” she said.
In spite of being banned from Parliament, MacMahon put on a free breakfast in her state electorate, South Brisbane, and encouraged people to join her.
This week, reports found 800 large companies in Australia paid zero corporate tax during the 2021-22 financial year. This included AFL, Energy Australia, Qantas, TPG and more.
There is reportedly no suggestion of illegal conduct from these companies, however, the International Monetary Fund has recommended the implementation of a “minimum tax” on profits for large corporations.