‘Grubby smear campaign’: Yolonde Entsch accuses Member for Cairns, Michael Healy of ‘bullying’ following integrity claims

A Far North MP has been accused of staging a “grubby” and “misogynistic” smear campaign after questioning the integrity of his LNP rival’s work as a private contractor and claims of her husband’s perceived conflicts of interest.

LNP candidate for the seat of Cairns Yolonde Entsch and Opposition Leader David Crisafulli say Queenslanders want to hear about solutions to youth crime, housing shortages and health. Picture: Brendan Radke

A Far North MP has been accused of staging a “grubby” and “misogynistic” smear campaign after questioning the integrity of his LNP rival’s work as a private contractor and claims of her husband’s perceived conflicts of interest.

Member for Cairns Michael Healy has called for Member for Leichhardt Warren Entsch to disclose further details around a deal to build seawalls in the Torres Strait in 2019.

Mr Entsch’s wife, Yolonde, who will contest the seat of Cairns in October, also ran workshops for a company connected to the project.

Yolonde Entsch has accused Member for Cairns Michael Healy of running a “misogynistic” smear campaign. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Glenn Campbell

But the former Cairns Citizen of the Year broke her silence exclusively in a statement to the Cairns Post on Thursday, declaring constant attacks on her character had forced her to speak out.

“I didn’t want to acknowledge Labor’s gutter-political smear, because it doesn’t deserve a response,” Ms Entsch said.

“I wanted to rise above it, because that’s what the community deserves.

“But it’s clear Michael Healy has completely lost touch with our community and thinks bullying and a grubby smear campaign is the way to hold onto political power.”

Ms Entsch, who’s won praise for her charitable work with women and in remote indigenous communities, said Labor MPs had resorted to attacks now they saw her as a political threat.

“When it was to their advantage, Labor MPs wanted to stand beside me to promote themselves, now they want to stand over me,” she said.

“Over more than a decade I’ve delivered charitable work to help the most vulnerable members of our Far North Queensland community.

“I have helped deliver programs for those experiencing homelessness, children and victims of domestic violence across the Far North and Torres Strait.

“Now that I want to put up my hand to continue working for our community, in their desperation, Labor wants to run a dirty campaign of lies because they’re out of ideas and know they’ve taken Cairns for granted.”

Ahead of October’s state election, Queenslanders wanted to hear more about health, housing and crime, Ms Entsch said.

“This is the misogynistic, grubby politics that Queenslanders despise, brought about by someone who has failed to deliver for his community and has turned to smear because he’s desperate to win an election,” she said.

“Our community deserves better.”

When contacted, Mr Healy declined to comment but Health Minister Shannon Fentiman said Ms Entsch must still explain if there is a connection between her work for My Pathway and Federal government funding awarded in 2019.

Member for Leichhardt, Warren Entsch has accused the Labor Party of unfairly attacking his wife, Yolonde, for workubg with organisations that have previously received government funding. Picture: Sandhya Ram

The training provider and a Torres Strait land council were given $5m for a seawall project that year, around the same time Ms Entsch was hired to run workshops for the company.

“It’s time the LNP put their money where their mouth is, instead of in the pockets of their mates,” Ms Fentiman said.

“Warren and Yolonde Entsch must come clean about why this obvious conflict of interest was not declared.

“The people of Cairns, and Queensland, deserve to know where this money was spent and on what. It’s as simple as that.”

Mr Entsch dismissed the claims as “ludicrous” accusations lobbed by “Labor party spear chuckers”.

Opposition Leader, David Crisafulli, said he stood by his candidate.

“Cairns deserves better than a Labor MP whose priority is deflecting from his own failures and attacking a woman, rather than delivering solutions for the youth crime crisis, the health crisis, housing and cost of living crises,” Mr Crisafulli said.

Originally published as ‘Grubby smear campaign’: Yolonde Entsch accuses Member for Cairns, Michael Healy of ‘bullying’ following integrity claims