‘Independent’ candidate Dr Monique Ryan accused of ‘hypocrisy’ over social media posts

The self-proclaimed independent taking on Josh Frydenberg is facing scrutiny over her Labor-loving social media posts.

The self-proclaimed independent candidate taking on Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has regularly posted privately on social media about her love for Labor Party legends, raising fresh questions about her political leanings.

Monique Ryan, who is challenging the deputy Liberal leader for the federal seat of Kooyong in the May election, has styled herself as a ­“small-l liberal” and a political “cleanskin”. But it emerged late last year she had been a Labor Party member until 2010.

The Herald Sun can now reveal Dr Ryan continued for years to support Labor’s leaders in a string of ­effusive Facebook posts, while also sharing anti-Liberal Party memes, attacking Coalition minister Peter ­Dutton as “Toxic Potatohead”, and blasting Malcolm Turnbull’s asylum-seeker policies as a “national disgrace”.

Monique Ryan is running in the seat of Kooyong.

A post Dr Ryan made about former prime minister Julia Gillard.

In 2015, she shared several posts from Labor frontbenchers Tanya Plibersek and Anthony Albanese, saying “love you Tanya” and “love love love you Tanya” and “you go Albo”. Two years earlier, she took to Facebook to wish Labor legend Gough Whitlam a happy birthday, while also posting about how much she missed former prime minister Julia Gillard. “I still love her, even if no one else does,” Dr Ryan said.

A screenshot from Monique Ryan's Facebook profile.

Dr Ryan shared this Anthony Albanese quote.

Victorian Liberal front­bencher Jane Hume seized on the posts, saying: “A vote for these fake independents is just a vote for Labor and the Greens. Kooyong deserves better”.

“Dr Ryan claimed to be a political cleanskin, before the media exposed that she was a Labor Party member, forcing her to come clean.

“By failing to be transparent and tell the truth about who they really are, ‘Voices’ groups clearly have a very serious integrity problem of their own making,” she said. “Voices” groups have sprung up across Australia to support so-called independent candidates.

One of the memes shared by Dr Ryan,

A photo with a Gough Whitlam poster.

Dr Ryan said she had ­“always been transparent” about her membership of the Labor Party from 2007 to 2010, and that she stood by describing herself as a “cleanskin”.

“Like most Australians I have been quite frustrated with leaders of all major parties. Many Liberal voters are frustrated with the Liberal Party and its leaders, as they have failed to conserve our environment and prepare our economy for a renewable ­future,” she said.

Speaking late last year, Dr Ryan said she was “not wearing the same jumper that I was wearing 10 years ago”.

Dr Ryan sharing her support for Julia Gillard.

Dr Ryan shared this message in 2013.

A post criticising Peter Dutton.

She shared this message from Tanya Plibersek.

On her Facebook page in 2012 and 2013, she posted a ­series of anti-Liberal memes, while in 2018 and 2019, Dr Ryan shared posts from comedian Catherine Deveny, ­attacking Mr Dutton.

One was a digitally altered image of Mr Dutton and his wife pictured in a newspaper under the headline “He is not a monster”, to which Dr Ryan added: “Poor Mrs Dutton.”

Dr Ryan, the former Royal Children’s Hospital director of neurology, said she had not taken part in Labor meetings or campaigns.

“I joined at a time when Kevin Rudd offered a positive vision for addressing climate change. When he did not deliver on that commitment, I quit my membership and have never looked back.”

A post mentioning Julia Gillard.

Another post about Gough Whitlam.

Dr Ryan said if she was elected, she would “sit down with both major parties to negotiate the best for the people of Kooyong” in the event of a hung parliament.

She said she would have a “clear mandate” for her priorities, including a 60 per cent emissions reduction target by 2030, a federal anti-corruption commission and more affordable childcare.

“Once in the House, I will approach every issue independently of any party, drawing on expert advice and the wishes and the priorities of the people of Kooyong,” she said.

But Senator Hume accused her and other independents of hypocrisy. “Don’t look at what fake independents say. Look at what they do,” she said.

“They fudge and don’t disclose donations, including for coal interests. They only target Liberal seats. They won’t answer the most fundamental question of who they would support to be in government.”

Originally published as ‘Independent’ candidate Dr Monique Ryan accused of ‘hypocrisy’ over social media posts