SALISBURY voters want the local Liberal candidate who called northern suburbs residents smelly and work-shy to say sorry — and say he should be stood down for his “rude” and “offensive” comments.

Anthony Antoniadis, the Liberal candidate for Ramsay — a safe Labor seat centred on Salisbury — made a series of offensive comments about people living in the area in a series of Facebook posts between 2010 and this year.

Labor MPs have called for the Liberal party to disendorse Mr Antoniadis tomorrow, on the last day candidates can nominate for the poll.

Opposition Leader Steven Marshall said Mr Antoniadis had apologised to the Liberal Party but would not be drawn on whether he would ask the candidate to apologise to voters.

“He’s made an apology to us in the Liberal party, we’ve accepted that apology,” Mr Marshall said.

“He’s remorseful.

“The comments were wrong.”

Premier Jay Weatherill said it “beggars belief” that Mr Marshall had not disendorsed Mr Antoniadis.

“Until he does that, and until he apologises, I think people are entitled to believe that this view is a more widely held belief within the Liberal party,” he said.

“It demonstrates an utter contempt for the people of Salisbury and I think it also reflects a contempt for working people generally.”

Labor member for the northern suburbs seat of Wright, Jennifer Rankine, said residents she encountered while doorknocking yesterday were “mortified” by Mr Antoniadis’ comments.

“I’ve never heard more hurtful remarks about an amazing community,” she said.

“Good, decent, hardworking people that support their families have been vilified by the Liberal Party.

“Mr Marshall has until Monday to ... disendorse a candidate who is clearly not up to the job and to actually issue an apology to the people of Salisbury for those disgusting, disparaging remarks.”

At Parabanks Shopping Centre on Saturday, locals were disgusted by the comments from the young man who operates the centre’s newsagency and is now campaigning to represent them.

Tim Parker, 49, of Salisbury, said he had been unemployed since he had a stroke last year and it had been one of the toughest times in his life — so to hear comments like this from a political candidate was particularly cutting.

“It’s very offensive. I had to stop work last year because I was a painter and I lost my painting arm because I had a stroke. It’s the first time in my life I’ve been out of work,” he said.

“It’s disgraceful, he should be kicked out. There’s some good people in Salisbury — just because there’s one or two people like that on the dole, it’s not a reflection of everyone.”

Volunteer and new mum Sam Turner, 30 of Salisbury, said it was an unfair characterisation of people living in the area.

“It’s not right, people would be offended, I wouldn’t vote for him. I think he should be told to stand down and apologise,” she said.

Under Mr Antoniadis’ name on his Facebook page are posts such as: “mmmm, yum!!! I love it when I can smell customers from 10 meters (sic) away!!!! #5108 #lynx #niveaformen #isle (sic) 14 #woolworths’’.

Nine of Mr Antoniadis’ Facebook friends “liked” this comment.

He also made fun of some of the customers who played the newsagency’s Keno gambling game.

“Welcome to SALISBURY: A mother speaking to her 6 year-old son ... ‘Get out of my f*@%ing way and sit down. I want to play Keno’.’’

Mr Antoniadis also questioned whether some of his constituents wanted to work.

“If only the people standing infront (sic) of centrelink at 8am would wake up early enough to get a job ... perhaps they wouldnt (sic) be there in the first place!!!!’’

Many of the insults are hashtagged with the number 5108, which is the postcode which covers Salisbury.

Optical dispenser Morgan White, 34, of Salisbury Plains, said it was “very silly” to post the comments on Facebook.

“He shot his chances after those comments but I wouldn’t vote for him anyway,” he said.

“We’re not (as wealthy) as Mawson Lakes but it just perpetuates the stereotype of the northern suburbs as a bad place to live. I’ve lived in Salisbury all my life, I love it. You get some bad people everywhere

“If you want to say in private to your mates, OK then, but not in public because it offends people.”

Mr White’s mum, Jan, said she was “outraged and offended”.

“People can walk around Salisbury like they want to, their personal hygiene and how they parent is their own business,” she said.

“I think the whole Liberal Party should stand aside. It completely contradicts what he’s standing for in trying to represent us.”

Rebekah Castle, 21, works at the shopping centre but was not a resident of the area and was still offended by the remarks.

“It’s pretty stereotypical. Even if it may be true, not something you say in public area,” she said.

“It’s pretty disgusting. If he’s going to be like that he shouldn’t run in the area. There’s no excuse for anybody to write that.”

The situation generated huge debate on advertiser.com.au and The Advertiser’s Facebook page.

Mr Antoniadis runs the Parabanks newsagency but was not at work today. His mother, who was behind the counter, declined to comment.

The 26-year-old initially told The Advertiser he believed “other people’’ had accessed his Facebook page and had written the comments, some of which date back to 2010 but also include comments made this year.

“There are times when people have accessed my Facebook, including work colleagues, and I don’t wish to comment any further on those issues but I certainly have a huge amount of respect for all of my constituents,’’ he said.

However, Liberal campaign spokesman Rob Lucas later said Mr Antoniadis was not using hacking as his defence, and accepted he had made most of the comments.

He would remain as the endorsed Liberal candidate for Ramsay but had been “counselled’’ over his “inappropriate comments’’, Mr Lucas said.

“He is not claiming that all of these statements are a result of someone hacking, that is not part of his formal complete defence or explanation. He accepts he has made most of those comments and they are his responsibility and he accepts they are inappropriate and they won’t continue,’’ Mr Lucas said.

The Liberal Party would require a swing of around 17 per cent to win Ramsay. It is currently held by Labor’s Zoe Bettison, who won the seat in a by-election following the retirement of former premier Mike Rann.

Labor campaign spokesman Tom Koutsantonis said Liberal leader Steven Marshall had to immediately sack Mr Antoniadis as the candidate for Ramsay.

“They cannot have a Liberal Party candidate saying such things about the people he is trying to represent,’’ he said.

“This is probably the most offensive thing I have seen in my entire time in parliament for over 16 years.’’

Mr Antoniadis, a graduate of Prince Alfred College, who has degrees in law and commerce from Adelaide University, also owns a company called ReadEBook in Ingle Farm.

He does not reside in Ramsay, and declined to say where he lives, but said he spent his working week in the area.

“I spend the majority of my time there — 100 hours a week working between Ingle Farm and Salisbury,’’ he said.

On the Liberal Party website, Mr Antoniadis says he meets with community members on a regular basis to “hear about their concerns’’.

“Anthony has a great vision for South Australia and is enthusiastic about seeing our state grow and prosper,’’ it says.

“He would like to see his electorate become a business hub for the north, creating job opportunities for locals.’’