Councillors shut down email hoax before compromised

“We need to send the message it’s not okay to use social media as a weapon against women entering politics.”

Neil Fisher when he was Acting Mayor

As police begin to investigate the fake Lauga email, brought to the Keppel MP’s attention by The Morning Bulletin, another politician has revealed he was targeted by a similar scam.

Neil Fisher was Acting Mayor at the Rockhampton Regional Council when an email was sent, in his name, to fellow councillors.

“The potential was there for my colleagues to get tripped up and reply with something confidential, thinking it was me,” he said.

“Luckily, a colleague alerted us to the fake email within an hour and the Deputy CEO shut it down.

“Still, whoever set up that fake email account in my name could have harmed the council’s integrity and the councillors’ reputation.”

However, Mr Fisher said that incident paled in comparison to the treatment of women in general, and some of his friends in particular.

Mr Fisher said he was “rendered speechless” when a female friend, who doesn’t live in Rockhampton, recently opened up to him about the extent to which she was abused by online trolls.

“Honestly, I did not know it could be that disgusting,” he said.

“To have someone directly threatening an attack on your body, on your children, it’s vile.”

Mr Fisher said it was time for publicly elected officials to stand together against misogynists in the community.

“Yes, we need some sort of legislation to punish online impostors but we also need to send the message it’s not okay to use social media as a weapon against women entering politics,” he said.

“I know how I would react if someone was treating the women in my family so atrociously; I would defend them by any means possible.

“I feel compelled to protect my colleagues, women such as Ms Lauga, to the same extent.”