‘Dump her’: PM urged to disendorse Liberal candidate Katherine Deves over transgender comments

The PM is under pressure to disendorse Liberal candidate Katherine Deves over her transgender comments, with a war brewing.

The Liberal Party is at war over Liberal candidate for Warringah Katherine Deves with the state’s Treasurer declaring there is no “place in a mainstream political party for bigotry.”

Just hours after former Prime Minister Tony Abbott urged the party to stay the course and not dump her over controversial comments that transgender teenagers were “surgically mutilated” the NSW Treasurer Matt Kean declared he had stayed silent for long enough.

“There is no place in a mainstream political party for bigotry,’’ he said.

“Coming out as transgender would be hugely challenging, especially for kids, and political leaders should be condemning the persecution of people based on their gender, not participating in it.”

In an unprecedented situation, the NSW Treasurer and leader of the moderates faction told news.com.au that the Prime Minister must dump her as a candidate.

“This is not an intolerant society,” he said

“These kinds of horrendous views are not okay, and i’m sure the voters of Warringah agree. Time for the Liberal Party to beat them to it and disendorse her.”

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In a podcast that she recorded in February last year, Ms Deves said that she felt her "Save Women's Sport" campaign was comparable to the French resistance to Nazi occupation. Picture:

NSW Treasurer Matt Kean. Photo: Wolter Peeters

Abbott, the former member for Warringah, who was booted out of Parliament at the 2019 election by Independent Zali Stegall, has backed the embattled candidate after revelations she compared her campaign against trans women playing sport to the Nazi resistance.

“She’s a tough, brave person who’s standing up for the rights of women and girls, for fairness in sport,” Mr Abbott told The Sydney Morning Herald.

“I very much admire her and can’t understand the pile on from people who claim to be supporters of women’s rights.”

Furious Liberals have insisted the Prime Minister must have known the candidates’ controversial views that have exploded as a campaign issue because she was vetted by the Liberal Party’s strict nomination review committee.

The Prime Minister has a representative on that committee - the man recently described by a Liberal senator as his “consigliere” Immigration Minister Alex Hawke.

“He promptly threw his captain’s pick under a bus, saying he was “unaware” of the history of offensive comments by Deves including her labelling of trans kids as “surgically mutilated”,’’ a Liberal source said.

“But Morrison was well aware of Deves’ views and comments.

“Deves went through the Liberal Party’s strict Nomination Review Committee (NRC), consisting of the Prime Minister’s representative Alex Hawke, NSW Liberal Party President Philip Ruddock, NSW Liberal Party Deputy State Director Simon McInnes and Warringah Liberal Party President and Campaign Director Lee Furlong.

“The NRC is responsible for the in-depth due-diligence of every candidate to ensure that the candidate will not bring the Party into disrepute. The committee is particularly responsible for identifying any comments on social media or made publicly by the potential candidate that are not consistent with the party’s views or standards.

“Now they consider Deves to be a catastrophic choice in a pro marriage equality seat.”

Ex Australian PM Tony Abbott. Picture: Stefan Postles/Getty Images

‘Suicide and blah’: PM’s pick mocks complaint

The Liberal candidate who believes “the majority of men with trans identities” are sex offenders previously dismissed LGBTI activists complaints that “we’re all going to commit suicide and blah blah.”

Scott Morrison is under pressure to disendorse Ms Deves after she compared trans activists to Nazis and said trans teenagers are “surgically mutilated”.

Now a new video has emerged of her dismissing the complaints of the trans community as “emotional” and wishing another woman “Merry Terf-mas” while sipping sparkling pink pinot noir from a champagne glass.

TERF is an acronym for trans-exclusionary radical feminist.

“We hear from the other side the toll, all the harm, the devastation, we’re all going to commit suicide and blah blah,’’ Ms Deves said.

A video has emerged of Liberal candidate, Katherine Deves comparing trans activists to Nazis, and saying that trans teenagers are “surgically mutilated”.

She made the comments in the context of complaining about being targeted personally by trans activists, “trolls” and men’s rights campaigners who she says threatened her with “dismemberment and burning at the stake.”

The video was recorded at Christmas in 2021 during an interview between Ms Deves and Holly Lawford-Smith, an associate professor in political philosophy.

It has also emerged the group Ms Deves founded, Save Women’s Sport Australasia, has in recent days posted criticism of Liberal Senator Andrew Bragg over his support for trans people.

A spokesman for the Liberal Party said the site was run out of New Zealand and the post was not authored by Ms Deves.

Ro Edge, the NZ spokesperson for the group, said the attacks on Ms Deves were “pure misogyny.” She said Ms Deves had taken a step back from the organisation while she was campaigning.

“You know I think it’s outright misogyny to be honest. Speaking out about women’s rights has become such a toxic issue,’’ she said.

“We’re not wanting to exclude anybody, but we’re just saying that the female category needs to be protected for very valid reasons.”

Liberal moderates are concerned the controversy could bleed into other inner city electorates and hurt MPs, including Dave Sharma who is facing a challenge from Independent Allegra Spender in Wentworth.

Ms Deves was a “captain’s pick” of the Prime Minister who needed a special exemption to run as a candidate because she only recently joined the Liberal Party.

Ms Deves was a "captain's pick" of the Prime Minister who needed a special exemption to allow her to run as a candidate because she only recently joined the Liberal Party. Pictures: Getty Images/Supplied

On Thursday Ms Deves issued a second public apology in the wake of her comments comparing trans activists to Nazis.

In the statement, she said: “In my dedication to fighting for the rights of women and girls, my language has on occasion been unacceptable.

“It has hurt people, and detracted from my arguments. I apologise for such language and the hurt that I have caused. I commit to continuing the fight for the safety of girls and women in a respectful way.”

News.com.au broke the story of her anti-trans tweets this week, including a claim trans teenagers were “surgically mutilated”.

The tweet included a graphic image of a topless teenager after surgery.

The day before, the Prime Minister suggested she was “right on the money” and said he supported her views.

However, he rejected her comments on trans teenagers and said she did the right thing by apologising.

Warringah Independent MP Zali Steggall is calling on the Liberal Party to dump Ms Deves.

“Her appalling and divisive comments were well known before the Prime Minister selected her,” she said.

CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA - JUNE 22: Member for Warringah Zali Steggall during a press conference in the Mural Hall at Parliament House on June 22, 2021 in Canberra, Australia. Barnaby Joyce has been sworn in as Deputy Prime Minister by Governor-General Hurley today after Mr Joyce deposed former Nationals leader Michael McCormack during a spill called yesterday by Senator Matt Canavan with Mr Joyce re-elected as leader of The Nationals in a leadership contest with at least 12 votes in the 21-member partyroom. (Photo by Sam Mooy/Getty Images)

Ms Deves, who co-founded an organisation to exclude trans people from women’s sport, was heard on a podcast comparing pro-trans activists to Nazi trains transporting Jews to concentration camps.

On the podcast, recorded in February last year, Ms Deves said she felt her “Save Women’s Sport” campaign was comparable to the French resistance to Nazi occupation.

“I’ve got three small children. I have skin in the game on their behalf and people just weren’t willing to speak up and I just felt compelled to do so,” Ms Deves said on the program.

“I’ve always loved 20th century history. I think many people say, ‘I’d never be one of the villagers that stayed quiet when the trains went past.’ I would have been part of the French resistance.

“But when all of this was happening and no one was speaking out, I thought this is it.

“This is the moment in my life where I am going to have to stand up and say something against the status quo and against the establishment, and say I don’t think this is right and it might come at a cost to me, but I have to say it.”

During WWII, trains would transport Jews to concentration camps as part of Adolf Hitler’s evil ‘Final Solution’ – his plan to carry out genocide on Jews and other minorities.

NSW Jewish Board of Deputies CEO Darren Bark and Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-CEO Peter Wertheim were quick to criticise Ms Deves’ remarks.

“There is nothing in contemporary Australian life and politics that is remotely comparable to the wholesale destruction of human life and civilisation that occurred during World War II.

“This sort of hyperbole trivialises the depths of inhumanity that were plumbed during that terrible conflict, and desensitises people to evil, instead of educating them to recognise and counteract it.

“There should always be extra caution taken when making historical analogies, especially by those who aspire to hold public office or leadership positions in our community.”

Prime Minister Scott Morrison initially defended Ms Deves, saying she was standing up for something “really important”.

“Katherine is an outstanding individual. And she’s standing up for things that she believes in, and I share her views on those topics. This is just about common sense and what’s right. And I think Katherine’s right on the money there,” Mr Morrison said.

More recently, Mr Morrison softened on the issue, saying his government would not support a bill in the works by Ms Deves and Liberal Senator Claire Chandler to stop sports clubs being sued for excluding trans athletes from women’s sport.