Sunshine Coast Labor MP Rob Skelton apologises for abusive post aimed at voters

A Sunshine Coast Labor MP has apologised for telling voters to “bugger off with your bulls**t” in an abusive social media post that has since been deleted, but not before it was screengrabbed.

Nicklin MP Rob Skelton.

A Sunshine Coast Labor MP has apologised for telling voters to “bugger off with your bullshit” in an abusive social media post.

Member for Nicklin Rob Skelton’s now-deleted Thursday night post was republished on Twitter on Friday by LNP frontbencher Jarrod Bleijie, who called him a “disgrace of an MP”.

Mr Skelton’s Facebook post, which was made on his official MP page, asked “all the idiot trolls out there” to “stay off social media”.

A screenshot of the since-deleted post.

It said community notice boards and governments needed to “provide actual real information”.

“Great that you take advantage of the situation but just … f$&k off for a minute,” he wrote.

“We need people to be safe.

“For gods sake bugger off with your bullshit.”

Mr Skelton did not answer questions as to what the post related to or what prompted it.

In a written statement, he said he had been out assisting with the flood recovery and clean-up over the course of the week.

“As a former first responder I know just how hard our emergency services and SES teams are working around the clock assisting people in my community,” he told The Courier-Mail.

“I regret using colourful language online in what has been a stressful week for many people.”

Asked at a press conference whether offensive posts were appropriate for her MPs to make, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said she hadn’t seen it.