Victorian election: Labor MP Gary Maas hits opponent with ‘white supremacists’ sledge

Victorian Labor MP Gary Maas has referenced the race of his Indian-born Liberal opponent Annette Samuel, accusing her of ‘putting white supremacists first’.

Narre Warren South rivals, Labor's Gary Maas (left) and the Liberals' Annette Samuel. Pictures: File

Victorian Labor MP Gary Maas has referenced the race of his Indian-born Liberal opponent Annette Samuel, accusing her of “putting white supremacists first” and telling her: “If you lie down with dogs, you get fleas.”

The clash outside a polling booth in Mr Maas’ southeastern Melbourne electorate of Narre Warren South came as Opposition Leader Matthew Guy travelled to Wodonga, in Victoria’s northeast, and Premier Daniel Andrews rallied workers on his government’s metro rail tunnel ahead of Saturday’s state election.

In a recording of the Narre Warren South incident supplied to The Australian, Mr Maas can be heard describing Ms Samuel as someone who “put white supremacists first, even though they’re from an Indian background”, and telling her: “That’s who you hang out with.”

Both major parties in Narre Warren South have given fifth preference out of eight to Tylere Baker-Pearce, who has posted in neo-Nazi forums about his election efforts and is responsible for reams of anti-Semitic posts, including a selfie outside Auschwitz.

However, the Liberals’ policy of putting Labor last means that while they have preferenced Samuel above Baker-Pearce, the anti-Semite has been preferenced in an unwinnable spot but still above Maas on the Liberals’ how-to-vote card.

In response to questions about whether Mr Maas’ behaviour was appropriate, a Labor campaign spokeswoman said: “Matthew Guy’s Liberals have made their choice clear — they would prefer putting right-wing extremists in parliament than Labor.”

“Labor will always preference the Liberals over Nazis,” the spokeswoman said.

Meanwhile on the NSW border, Mr Guy announced plans to allow 17-year-olds to get their P-plates and drive independently.

Currently, Victorians can get their L-plates at 16, but cannot qualify for a provisional drivers’ licence until they turn 18, putting them at odds with 17-year-olds in most other states.

The requirement to complete 120 hours of driving practice while on L-plates will continue.

Wodonga is in the seat of Benambra, held by Liberal MP Bill Tilley, who is facing a challenge from independent candidate Jacqui Hawkins.

Ms Hawkins ran against Mr Tilley in 2018, losing by a two-party-preferred margin of only 2.45 per cent, leaving the Coalition fearful that demographic change and a rising teal tide could place them at risk of losing the seat.

Back in Melbourne, Mr Andrews and his deputy Jacinta Allan visited Ardern station in North Melbourne – being built as part of the Metro Tunnel project – to spruik their infrastructure projects and claim that workers will lose their jobs if the Coalition is elected on Saturday.