Federal election 2019: Candidates shocking behaviour
From nude posts to describing topless women as yummy, vile homophobic attacks and brutal racist posts — the scandal surrounding this year’s political candidates hasn’t lost any steam. We recap the most shocking misconduct so far.
- Australian political candidates embroiled in social media fails
- One Nation candidate Stuart Bonds claims Australian politics has a pay for play system
From describing topless women as yummy, to vile homophobic attacks and brutal racist posts — the political scandal surrounding this year’s political candidates hasn’t lost steam.
We recap the biggest fails and eyebrow-raising social media posts so far.
JACKSON WREFORD, ONE NATION
A series of nude photos of Western Australian candidate Jackson Wreford has attracted a lot of attention.
Clutching a towel across his groin, Wreford posted the sexy image to Instagram last year charting his progress to become a professional bodybuilder.
Wreford responded to the nude posts saying, “Everyone has skeletons in their past but I think if one is to truly learn and evolve as a person you have to own those skeletons and mistakes because all those experiences accumulate to make you who you are right now, and hopefully that person is a better version of who you were yesterday.”
ROSS MACDONALD, ONE NATION
Another headache for Senator Hanson, Ross Macdonald was running for a north Queensland seat when a string of sleazy images from his Facebook account were revealed.
One post shows him grabbing the breasts of a woman while on holiday in Thailand and posing with a topless woman.
Mr Macdonald shared an image of a woman's cleavage with a caption saying: ‘Mmm YUMMY?’.
STUART BONDS, ONE NATION
One Nation’s candidate for the federal seat of Hunter online profile states: ‘Rule Number 1: F**k what they think’.
Posing in his underwear, revealing his muscular physique and anarchy tattoos, Stuart Bonds promotes his ideology on social media saying ‘a revolution’ is coming to this country and that we must ‘put sanity back into the conversation’.
In a video posted to YouTube, Bonds reacts just after his wife gives birth saying, “F** that thing is ugly, like a demon, a little alien baby,” and he disagrees that you experience this amazing feeling of love after your child is born, saying “that’s bulls**t, that’s a lie. Well it was for me anyway.”
ANDREW MARKS, UNITED AUSTRALIA PARTY
He’s the youngest candidate contesting this month’s federal election and the latest busted posting inappropriate memes referencing Hitler to Facebook.
The memes, which have been condemned by the Jewish community, included a photograph of a crowd “dabbing” (an arm-raising hip-hop dance move) with a separate zoomed-in picture of a man within the group appearing to be giving a Nazi salute.
PETER VAGG, UNITED AUSTRALIA PARTY
North Sydney’s Peter Vagg says he stands by his posts, which included one about stopping African gangs and Muslim extremists from immigrating to Australia, a ban on the burqa and for Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young to be “deported to an Islamic country”.
Mr Vagg, whose profile states he worked in China “for 15 years” in the clothing sector, also shared a post calling on Facebook users to “repost ” if they agreed Indian call centres should be banned from contacting Australians.
CONNOR PARISSIS, GREENS
NSW Greens candidate Connor Parissis was forced to apologise for encouraging violence against politicians and showing disregard for dead police officers on social media.
Connor Parissis, who is running in the inner west seat of Barton, has also posted a series of anti-Semitic images and openly promotes the use of illicit drugs in the past year.
Mr Parissis posted a picture on Facebook stating “who gives a flying fox about dead cops?” in December 2017 and in August last year posted “log off and grab a bat and head to ur (sic) local liberal office x”.
WAYNE KURNOTH, LABOR
Union organiser Wayne Kurnoth in February posted a picture showing Malcolm Turnbull as an Islamic State executioner about to kill the ABC’s Emma Alberici.
Kurnoth, Labor’s fourth choice Senate candidate for the Northern Territory, was forced to apologise for making “stupid” comments on social media after he was given a public dressing down by Opposition Leader Bill Shorten.
JEREMY HEARN, LIBERALS
Jeremy Hearn, who was vying for the Melbourne seat of Isaacs, said he wanted taxpayers to stop funding Australia’s Muslim schools because they are waging “rebellion against the government”.
In a series of highly divisive comments online, Mr Hearn said all Muslims subscribed to an ideology of “killing or enslavement of the citizens of Australia if they do not become Muslim”.
He said Muslims wanted to “replace the Australian government and legal system with sharia” and were “lying about their purpose to conceal their activities”.
Mr Hearn was sacked after the appalling anti-Muslim rant.
LUKE CREASEY, LABOR
Embattled candidate Luke Creasey quit the race for Melbourne over a string of offensive Facebook comments.
Victorian Liberal senator Jane Hume said Mr Creasey’s posts were “simply foul” and Labor “must immediately disendorse him in the seat”.
“A candidate who makes rape jokes and shares pornographic material online is not welcome in the Australian parliament,” Senator Hume said.
Mr Creasey apologised, saying the posts were “stupid, immature and in no way reflect the views I hold today”.
JESSICA WHELAN, LIBERALS
Liberal candidate Jessica Whelan, who came under fire for allegedly posting anti-Muslim comments online, was another candidate dumped by a major party.
Ms Whelan, who was running for the Tasmanian seat of Lyons, denied responsibility for one Islamophobic remark on Facebook.
A report in The Mercury newspaper revealed posts from Ms Whelan, including one suggesting women have their genitalia mutilated.
“Round them up Donald, cut their clitoris’ off & sell them to Muslims in Muslim countries & cancel their passports. You’ll make a mint.”
“Given that your profile states you went to College at ‘Never lose hope in ALLAH’. I hope you’re bloody NOT on our housing waiting list. You shouldn’t even be in Australia if you believe in ALLAH!” it read.
A spokesperson for Ms Whelan told the newspaper that screenshots of the comments had been doctored in an attempt to smear her.
JIM CASEY, GREENS
Last month it was revealed an inner Sydney Greens candidate was caught on camera smashing a piñata of Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s head.
Ex-unionist Jim Casey, who is challenging Labor frontbencher Anthony Albanese in the seat of Grayndler, was filmed swinging for the piñata with a baton at a backyard house party on October 20.
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