Police Minister Resigns Amidst Licence Suspension

Due to allegations that he was driving a motor vehicle with a suspended license, Police Minister David Gibson was forced to resign from his post, following a meeting with Queensland Premier, Campbell Newman today.

Last February, Gibson was caught speeding and found to have been unlicensed. The Police Minister is in charge of the community’s safety portfolio.

In a statement, Gibson said that his driver’s licence was suspended since November.
He clarified, however, that he has not received any relevant paperwork to settle this. Gibson claimed he was not aware of receiving any correspondence relating to this suspension.

The Queensland Premier maintained that he expects his ministers to uphold the highest standards while serving in office. He accepted Gibson’s resignation effective immediately and would be appointing his replacement later today.

David Gibson has not been available to the media following his resignation, but he released a statement on his Facebook and Twitter accounts, saying that he was indeed caught speeding in February and that he only learned of his license suspension yesterday.

In a statement, Gibson wrote that he would have never have driven his car if he knew that his licence was suspended. And because the high standards expected of ministers, he said he believed that he failed to live up to that expectation.

Gibson’s appointment to office is now marked as the shortest in Queensland’s history. He served for only 14 days.

With his resignation, a minor reshuffle is expected among police ranks as Gibson’s post is also considered one of the top six highest posts in the police portfolio. Someone with experience is needed as his replacement.

Tagged Campbell Newman, David Gibson, Queensland