Outspoken Liberal Democrats Senator David Leyonhjelm has defended his response to the death of sports journalist Rebecca Wilson, after critics labelled him “insensitive” and “cruel”.

Outspoken Liberal Democrats Senator David Leyonhjelm has defended his response to the death of sports journalist Rebecca Wilson, after critics labelled him “insensitive” and “cruel”.

Senator Leyonhjelm prompted backlash today after tweeting there “won’t be many Western Sydney Wanderers fans at Wilson’s funeral” in reference to a story Wilson wrote in the Sunday Telegraph last year.

Senator Leyonhjelm prompted backlash today after tweeting there “won’t be many Western Sydney Wanderers fans at Wilson’s funeral” in reference to a story Wilson wrote in the Sunday Telegraph last year.

Senator Leyonhjelm today stood by his comments, saying the story “named and shamed fans of the Western Sydney Wanderers who she claimed had been banned by the Football Federation for loutish behaviour”.

Senator Leyonhjelm today stood by his comments, saying the story “named and shamed fans of the Western Sydney Wanderers who she claimed had been banned by the Football Federation for loutish behaviour”.

“Some of the people named had never been banned, some had been banned on spurious grounds, and some were under 18 and should never have been named even if they had been legitimately banned,” Senator Leyonhjelm said in a statement to