Thuringowa MP Aaron Harper compares crime-fighting skills to Batman

A Townsville MP “needs help” after a “bizarre” social-media post in which he compares his crime-fighting capabilities to those of Batman’s, KAP says.

Thuringowa MP Aaron Harper says his children placed his head on an image of Batman’s body and scribbled a mask over his face into an image he said was too good not to share on his Facebook page.

A Townsville MP “needs help” after a “bizarre” social-media post in which he compares his crime-fighting capabilities to those of Batman’s, Katter’s Australian Party says.

“Looking at his Facebook page, the member for Thuringowa, Aaron Harper, needs help,” Hinchinbrook MP Nick Dametto said on Friday.

“Maybe he needs help to collate some decent imagery and form up his posts a little bit better but it’s quite a bizarre read.”

In the post, Mr Harper says his children placed his head on an image of Batman’s body and scribbled a mask over his face into an image he said was too good not to share.

“Got to love your kids eh?” he wrote.

“Mine made this image up as they regard me as a crime fighter after advocating and helping get new laws either passed or into Parliament.”

Thuringowa MP Aaron Harper says his children placed his head on an image of Batman’s body and scribbled a mask over his face into an image he said was too good not to share on his Facebook page.

Mr Harper used the image to segue into a longer post to “lay out some achievements”, including securing the new POLAIR helicopter for Townsville Police.

The post garnered just 10 likes and three comments, two of which were negative.

“In 2019, you said (Townsville) doesn’t need a police helicopter,” Ross Williams replied, “Glad you changed your mind.”

Another, Matthew Cooper, complained that he and his wife had narrowly avoided becoming victims to a home invasion by armed youths.

“Why are they still getting around trying to steal another car with all these great achievements?”

Hinchinbrook MP and KAP Deputy Leader Nick Dametto outside the Townsville court complex. Picture: Supplied

Mr Dametto said Mr Harper’s portrayal of himself as the Caped Crusader reeked of “desperation”.

“It’s almost a death-roll before giving up the seat in October – I think this is a last-minute cry and scream before the inevitable.”

Mr Harper, in his post, said that in addition to the helicopter, Labor had introduced removal of youth detention as a last resort, breach of bail with a custodial sentence and a serious declaration of recidivist offenders.

Mr Dametto said the reality was that despite Labor’s attempts to combat crime, “the real measure is have they done anything to reduce crime?”

“We’ve had a horror week in Townsville: We are losing up to seven vehicles a night and by last count there have been two carjackings,” he said.

“The real statistics people actually care about are crime numbers going down and the streets being safer.”

Mr Harper hit back on Friday afternoon, saying Mr Dametto’s comments about “needing help” were “not a very nice thing to say”.

“As someone who has worked as a paramedic for 35 years, come on Nick,” he said.

“It was a joke, my kids did that, it was my sense of humour, he needs to get a life and lighten up.”

He said his kids knew how passionate he was about crime and “how I speak from the heart because I care about my community”.

“If Dametto is consumed about what’s on my Facebook, then good on you Nick, lighten up, get a sense of humour and move on.”

Mr Harper’s Facebook posts have attracted criticisms before, including from constituents who say they receive bans for posing questions to their elected representative.

In 2022, the MP published an apology to Mr Dametto after he claimed inaccurately that the Hinchinbrook MP and KAP colleague Shane Knuth would benefit financially from a potential camp for troubled youth.

Originally published as Thuringowa MP Aaron Harper compares crime-fighting skills to Batman