Labor’s by-election strife: candidate Colleen Yates quits over false CV claims

Labor’s candidate for the Darling Range by-election has quit just weeks after the MP resigned for repeatedly lying about his past.

Labor’s candidate for next month’s Darling Range by-election in Western Australia has quit after questions were raised over her academic credentials, just two weeks after the previous MP for the state seat resigned for repeatedly lying about his past.

In a move that raises further doubts the ALP’s ability to vet its candidates, Colleen Yates released a statement today announcing she had pulled out of the June 23 by-election just five days after being endorsed by the party.

WA Premier Mark McGowan. Picture: AAP

Media reports in recent days had suggested Ms Yates never attended a US college as she claimed in her CV. It was also revealed she listed an MBA from the University of WA on her LinkedIn profile, even though she has not completed the qualification.

Ms Yates said in her statement she had made “minor mistakes” that would “haunt me for the rest of my life”.

“If I’ve learnt anything over the last few days, it is that the intense scrutiny that comes with politics just isn’t for me,” she said.

“This has been an extremely difficult time for myself and my family. I stepped down from my job as a chief executive officer to run for Darling Range.

“I was ready to throw my heart and soul into the campaign. I was in it, to win it. I knew running in this by-election would bring an increased level of scrutiny on the candidates, but I wasn’t prepared for what came.

“How I portrayed myself on my LinkedIn account is, in my opinion, similar to how thousands of people would input their data on the online service. However, these minor mistakes will now haunt me for the rest of my life.

“I regret any anguish that the events of the last couple of days may have had on my family, the Darling Range community or the WA Labor Party.”

Politics is tough. Candidates are under a high level of scrutiny.

Colleen Yates has decided to pull out of the race and I respect her decision.

I wish Colleen all the best for her future.

The Party will now look to find a new candidate to run in Darling Range.

— Mark McGowan (@MarkMcGowanMP) May 25, 2018

Premier Mark McGowan tweeted: “Politics is tough. Candidates are under a high level of scrutiny. Colleen Yates has decided to pull out of the race and I respect her decision. I wish Colleen all the best for her future. The party will now look to find a new candidate to run in Darling Range.”

Ms Yates’ resignation comes after former Labor MP Barry Urban resigned as the MP for Darling Range over his repeated lies to the Parliament, including a false claim that he served as a war crimes investi­gator in Bosnia in the 1990s.

The WA Parliament’s procedures and privi­leges committee found after an inquiry that Mr Urban committed a “sustained and gross contempt of parliament” by lying to the house.

He also deliberately misled the inquiry by providing it with a forged copy of a degree from the University of Leeds.