Former Hughes MP Craig Kelly in court for alleged Covid breach

The ex-MP has who lost his job during Saturday’s federal election has appeared in court. The former Hughes member has been outspoken on Covid restrictions and vaccine mandates.

The former federal MP for Hughes, who has been outspoken on Covid restrictions and vaccine mandates, has appeared in court after he allegedly did not wear a face mask.

Craig Kelly lost his job on Saturday when he failed to secure enough votes from residents in the federal election and he will not be returning to parliament.

The 58-year-old father faced Sutherland Local Court on Tuesday after he was charged with failing to comply with a directive to wear a face covering.

Documents tendered to court said Kelly was spoken to by police on September 17 last year about 10.40am at Prices Circuit, Woronora.

He allegedly breached the Public Health Act and was issued with a future court attendance notice for November 12 last year.

The documents did not detail further information about how he came to police notice or why he was allegedly not wearing a mask.

The offence allegedly occurred when he was still a federal member and leader of the United Australia Party.

Kelly has pleaded not guilty to the allegation and will defend himself at a hearing listed for February 20 next year at Sutherland Local Court.

The hearing is expected to take 90 minutes and Kelly will give evidence, as will potentially one other witness, he told the courtroom.

The prosecution will have one witness giving evidence.

The controversial former MP sensationally left the Liberal Party then joined the United Australia Party, becoming the leader in February 2021.

He has been widely outspoken on Covid vaccine mandates and made it a key election promise if the party was elected to government.

However, the man who Clive Palmer touted as “Australia’s next Prime Minister” now seems politically done after election results came pouring in on Saturday night.

Kelly was forced to concede his seat to Liberal candidate Jenny Ware after holding it for 12 years.

Kelly secured only 6177 votes, which was 7.46 per cent, but did have a swing of nearly five per cent towards him.

“We always knew it was going to be tough,” he told the St George Shire Standard at his campaign party in Sutherland on Saturday night.

“The reality is it is very hard to get people to shift away from the major parties.

“We stood up for what we knew was right.

“I have absolutely no regrets whatsoever and I congratulate Jenny Ware from the Liberals.

“The Liberal Party had abandoned many of the values they and I stood for when I signed up so I felt it wasn’t me leaving the party, it was the party leaving me.”

Kelly has been widely condemned by medical experts for advocating for the use of anti-parasitic drug ivermectin against Covid.

Pressure was put on then-Prime Minister Scott Morrison and other government leaders to counter misinformation from Kelly.

He has been rebuked for disseminating conspiracy theories, dubious cures and medical misinformation from discredited professionals.

Kelly has been outspoken on mandatory vaccination in workplaces, calling them “an abuse of human rights” and “a very dark period in Australia’s history”.