The NSW Liberal candidate for the Central Coast seat of Wyong has been disendorsed after comments allegedly made by him on social media were deemed to have no place in the party.
With less than two weeks until the hotly contested March 25 poll, Premier Dominic Perrottet has confirmed Matthew Squires has been booted over the historical posts, which included homophobic, Islamophobic and anti-vaccination comments.
Some posts refer to homosexuality as “perversion”, another says “homosexuality activists and the Palestinian terrorists are aligned” and others perpetuate conspiracy theories about COVID-91 vaccinations.
“Those views have no place in our party,” Mr Perrottet told Sydney radio 2GB on Tuesday.
“He’s been disendorsed and I support that decision.”
Wyong is a safe Labor seat held by the party’s spokesman for Aboriginal affairs David Harris on a margin of 13 per cent.
Meanwhile, the Liberal candidate for Swansea in the Hunter, Megan Anderson, is also in hot water after making a remark about climate change at a community event last week.
The Guardian reported she made the comment about offshore windfarms, telling a person beside her: “I don’t believe in climate change”.
She later said that was not her view and was a “clumsy joke”, The Guardian reported.
Swansea is a safe Labor seat held by Yasmin Catley on a 13 per cent margin.
Elsewhere, the Labor candidate for the crucial seat of Parramatta in Sydney’s west is also feeling the heat over comments allegedly made during the 2021 local government elections.
Two Liberal volunteers – one from an Indian background and another from a Lebanese background – claim Donna Davis made racially charged comments, The Daily Telegraph has reported.
They allege Ms Davis approached them at a pre-polling booth saying: “Where are your women? Where are they? You lock them up.”
Ms Davis denied using those words but said she did remark on a lack of women at Liberal polling booths and “the Liberal Party’s broader issues with women”.
Parramatta is held by retiring Liberal MP Geoff Lee on a 6.5 per cent margin.
– AAP
