Lawlor's first stouch in Parliament was with Opposition racing spokesman Howard Hobbs over an alleged forged document the opposition had tabled in parliament which was a draft letter from the Queensland Principal Club, Lawlor accused Hobbs of misleading the House by not checking the letter's authenticity. Soon after Lawlor named a Gold Coast man as the mastermind of an international scam purporting to supply humanitarian aid, promising investors returns of 10 to 40 per cent the scam duped Australians and New Zealanders of over $6 million.