Jessica Whelan quits as Liberal federal election candidate over anti-Muslim social media posts

Updated

The Liberal Party has accepted the resignation of Tasmanian candidate Jessica Whelan following more allegations about her social media activity.

Key points: The candidate for the seat of Lyons was linked to Facebook posts spouting anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant views

Liberal Party says the post were inappropriate and it was unaware of them

She said she did not have the "energy" to run as an independent but later said she was confident she could win as an independent

Overnight screenshots emerged that appear to show comments made on Facebook spouting anti-Muslim, anti-immigrant views.

"Clearly these posts are inappropriate, and the Liberal Party was not aware of their existence until they were reported," the Liberal Party said in a statement.

"Therefore, she has offered her resignation as a candidate and the Liberal Party has accepted it."

Ms Whelan was yesterday accused in Tasmania's Parliament of making several Islamophobic comments on Facebook, including a post about genital mutilation.

She denied responsibility for one of those posts, suggesting a Facebook screenshot had been digitally manipulated.

"Jess Whelan vehemently maintains that she did not make the vulgar post reported in yesterday's media," this morning's statement said.

"However, she accepts that she has made some of the other posts in question."

Ms Whelan issued a personal statement this afternoon admitting to making "some ill-advised and misinformed" comments but said she was pursuing legal action regarding the posts she says she did not make.

"I have been receiving threats to the level I could never have imagined. Phone calls, voicemails, messages and emails have made those close to me startled and afraid. These have included messages to kill my children and myself," Ms Whelan's statement said.

"I admit to making some ill-advised and misinformed comments in the past, but I absolutely deny making a particularly vile post as reported yesterday.

"A number of the other posts which have been reported are also not mine.

"It is my intention to continue legal action regarding these posts falsely attributed to me."

Despite earlier telling the ABC she did not have the "time or energy" to actively run as an independent for the seat of Lyons, Ms Whelan, who remains on the ballot, this afternoon said she was confident she could win the seat.

"If I got elected I would sit in the House as an independent," she said.

She said she intended to "campaign a bit on social media and actively campaign locally".

Prime Minister Scott Morrison defended the Liberal Party not dumping Ms Whelan when the allegations first emerged yesterday.

Morrison: The information in front of us yesterday was not the information that we were able to receive overnight. Journalist: Have you been lied to? Morrison: Yes.

Mr Morrison, while campaigning alongside Ms Whelan yesterday, said the matter would be referred to the Australian Federal Police (AFP).

But that didn't happen until late Friday.

"The AFP can confirm it has received a referral in relation to this matter," an AFP spokesperson said late Friday.

"While it is being assessed, it would not be appropriate to comment further."

Mr Morrison said his party had dealt with its candidates and slammed Labor leader Bill Shorten for sticking with a Melbourne candidate who has apologised for sharing a rape joke online.

"We have taken action on the issue," Mr Morrison said.

"When it became absolutely clear those were the comments that had been made, those comments are things that I don't share, that I don't accept and I won't stand for and in our party, we won't. As a result, the candidate, Jessica, has resigned."

The Liberal Party has already lost two candidates in Melbourne this week for anti-Muslim and homophobic social media posts.

Ms Whelan was vying for the Labor-held seat of Lyons, north of Hobart, which has been considered within reach for the Coalition.

However, she will remain on ballots as the Liberal candidate because early voting is already underway.

It is a similar situation to now One Nation leader Pauline Hanson when she was first elected to the Federal Parliament in 1996.

The Liberal Party dumped her as its candidate after ballots had been printed. She won that election and sat as an independent.

Comment made on Malcolm Roberts's Facebook page

The party's statement has not made clear which of the social media comments Ms Whelan has admitted to posting.

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A comment in July 2017 called for a national vote on whether to ban people of the Islamic faith from entering Australia.

"I care about our safety," it read.

"How about we have a referendum on whether or not we close our borders to Muslims? Now that I would vote for!"

The comment was made on former One Nation senator Malcolm Roberts's Facebook page on a post relating to a republic referendum.

Far-right senator Fraser Anning echoed similar sentiments in his first speech to Parliament last year, when he said the "final solution to the immigration problem is a popular vote".

Another post criticised Minneapolis police officer Mohamed Noor following the shooting death of Australian woman Justine Damond Ruszczyk.

"He's a filthy Muslim!"

The Facebook comment was in response to a July 2017 news report that was posted soon after the 40-year-old's killing.

Topics: government-and-politics, federal-elections, federal-election, liberals, political-parties, australia

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