Katter party dumps homophobes

BOB Katter's Australian Party has dumped two potential candidates who made slurs against homosexuals.

BOB Katter's Australian Party has dumped two potential candidates who made slurs against homosexuals, insisting it would not let them talk up their "personal preoccupations".

The party's federal executive suspended the membership of former office-bearer Bernard Gaynor, who was vying for a spot on KAP's Queensland Senate ticket for this year's federal election.

Victorian candidate Tess Corbett jumped before the axe fell, withdrawing her bid to run in the House of Representatives seat of Wannon.

Both had refused to back away from inflammatory comments suggesting that gays should be banned from supervising children at school and kindergarten.

Mr Gaynor claimed yesterday that Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott would support his position that parents should be able to object to homosexual teachers.

On Wednesday, he had tweeted: "I wouldn't let a gay person teach my children and I am not afraid to say it."

Separately, Ms Corbett told The Australian that homosexuality was against the "word of God", and she wouldn't want gays, lesbians or pedophiles to work in her local kindergarten.

KAP president Max Menzel said yesterday he had accepted Ms Corbett's offer to withdraw as candidate for Liberal-held Wannon, in Victoria's rural southwest.

"Tess has great ability and the recent incident is regrettable," he said. "KAP cannot be used by any member to focus on issues of their own preoccupation."

National director Aidan McLindon -- tipped to become KAP's lead Senate candidate in Queensland -- denounced Mr Gaynor in similar terms.

"The party has made it perfectly clear on a number of occasions to all candidates and officials that KAP does not exist for individuals to air and promote their personal preoccupations," he said.

"For this reason, and as a result of serious breaches of protocol, the party has suspended Mr Gaynor's membership."

Party founder Mr Katter weighed in against Mr Gaynor, a former secretary of the party, saying he had a "rather peculiar" way of trying to secure support.

The outspoken federal independent MP is on record as being anti-gay, once saying he would "walk backwards from Bourke to Brisbane" if a homosexual could be found living in his north Queensland seat of Kennedy.

But he tempered his position last May, telling the Sydney Writers' Festival that he regretted the KAP had run anti-gay ads during the Queensland election.