Federal MPs line up to share their views for and against David van Gend
Liberal MPs and Senators have expressed their concerns, and support, of Dr van Gend’s Groom preselection push.
Toowoomba
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A Federal Liberal MP has come out and condemned the views of a leading LNP Groom preselection candidate.
In the past two weeks David van Gend has emerged as one of the front runners for LNP preselection for the seat.
He is a controversial figure, and in the past has linked children of same-sex families to the stolen generation and said people could just stop being gay.
He has also spoken in support of gay conversion therapy.
Speaking on the ABC this afternoon, Liberal Wentworth MP Dave Sharma said Dr van Gend’s views were not ones he shared or endorsed.
“I absolutely have no time or sympathy for gay conversion therapy or anything like that,” Mr Sharma said.
“I am resolutely opposed to those ideas.
“Let’s see who the candidate that LNP members select is and then have an argument about whether those views are appropriate or not.”
Two other Federal parliamentarians, Senator’s Eric Abetz and Matt Canavan, have publicly endorsed Dr van Gend.
“There is no substitute for quality – and David van Gend is quality in character, personality and intellect,” Mr Abetz said.
“It would be an immense privilege to have David work with us in Canberra in service to our nation.”
Mr Canavan said Dr van Gend had “persistence, determination and good nature to make an excellent representative for Groom”.
“His contributions to the LNP’s policy debates are regularly some of the most thought provoking, humorous and influential.
“He has been an asset to our party for years and he would make a major impact as a Federal member.
“We need people like David in the trenches in Canberra to promote our wealth producing industries and defend family values with integrity and determination.”
Federal Labor MP’s have also jumped into the preselection drama.
“He’s not going to be the outlier in the, ahem, modern LNP,” Moreton MP Graham Perrett tweeted.
Queensland Senator Murray Watt shared an article about Dr van Gend simply with the line “look who the LNP is bringing to Canberra”.
