‘Who does that’: PM slams Liberal for handing out chocolates to children

Scott Yung said he asked parents’ permission before handing out chocolates to kids. Locals say that is not true.

Lane Cove locals have cast doubt on a Liberal candidate’s explanation for why he was handing out chocolates to kids outside a local public school, in a move which sparked an official complaint.

It comes as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese seized on Bennelong candidate Scott Yung’s actions to criticise the Liberal Party’s candidate vetting processes.

“Who doesn’t know that you can’t hand sweets to children, who are not yours, outside of school — who doesn’t know that?” the PM said in Perth.

The Daily Telegraph revealed on Friday that Mr Yung was the subject of an official complaint after he stunned concerned parents by handing out chocolate Easter eggs to children as they were leaving Lane Cove public school.

The incident sparked “stranger danger” concerns among parents and an official complaint from the principal.

Liberal candidate for Bennelong Scott Yung outside Lane Cove Public School.

“They were handing out Easter eggs and campaigning material to children,” one parent told The Telegraph.

The parent, who did not wish to be named, said Mr Yung was giving children the chocolates “without (asking their) parents’ permission”.

The Department of Education slammed the actions as “unacceptable,” after Principal Terry McKinnon complained to Mr Yung’s campaign team.

Mr Yung previously ran for Kogarah in the NSW parliament. Picture: Jeremy Piper

“It is unacceptable for any member of the public to hand out Easter eggs, lollies or any other consumable to children outside a school,” a department spokesman told The Telegraph.”

The Telegraph was told Mr Yung arrived before school pick-up time and was approaching parents and children on their way out of the gates.

In a statement, a NSW Liberal spokesman said Mr Yung was talking “with local parents in a public space” about the Coalition’s election policies.

“While speaking to the parents he offered their kids Easter chocolate eggs, with parents’ permission, wishing them a happy Easter,” the spokesman said.

However, locals responding to the story in a Lane Cove Facebook group have cast doubts on that explanation.

“My child was offered chocolate without (the campaign) asking first,” one mother said.

Another said Mr Yung was “at the gates trying to speak through them to parents before pick-up”.

“He also gave my kid chocolate in the village without checking first.”

Another woman said Mr Yung was previously handing out sweets, “with his name on them,” during Halloween.

The electoral commission said there was nothing wrong with a candidate handing out chocolate or lollies as part of their campaign tactics.

But Mr Albanese questioned why Mr Yung thought it was appropriate to hand out chocolates to kids outside school gates.

“How is it that someone who is a candidate (thinks) … ‘I know, we’ll go hand out chocolates to little kids outside of school’?”

Mr Albanese also criticised other Liberal candidates across the country, including a candidate who was dumped in the NSW seat of Whitlam.

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Originally published as ‘Who does that’: PM slams Liberal for handing out chocolates to children