Guiding hand: Stephen Barber, previously involved in the US Republican Party’s Tea Party movement, will work for the LNP on the Coast.

Guiding hand: Stephen Barber, previously involved in the US Republican Party’s Tea Party movement, will work for the LNP on the Coast. Contributed

A PEREGIAN Beach man who was involved in the US Republican Party’s Tea Party movement and who has been labelled a “barking mad” Islamophobe has been awarded an organisational role in the Sunshine Coast LNP.

Stephen Barber in March sought LNP pre-selection for the federal seat of Longman, won by then-19-year-old Wyatt Roy, but he told the Daily he pulled out of the race in favour of local residents. He said he would rather win a Senate position for the party, “and had made that known to the party”.

But Mr Barber may also be a source of badly needed political funding with a federal election looming, one MP said.

Website Australian Conservative said the LNP head office “turned its back” on the 53-year-old who had “an extremely impressive CV” when it “unapproved” his candidacy for Longman.

But Mr Barber’s own application for the Longman pre-selection, available online, includes in his points of view “the need for Australia to avoid the demographic problems that Europe is beginning to experience as a result of Islamic immigration”.

He said he started up a political website in the US called www.nationalone.org in 2006, which in part is “a response to growing mainstream resistance to the rise of Islamo-facism (sic) in the face of Western appeasement”.

Mr Barber told the Daily his role would be “working together with regional chairman Greg Newton to crank up the party movement and coordinate policy across the Coast”.

“The Tea Party Movement in the US was to get people involved in politics instead of sitting on the sidelines. There is no compulsory vote in the US,” he said.

But political website Vexnews quoted LNP insiders concerned about his extremist views, with one saying “the LNP is going to get into hot water by associating with this bloke. He puts the bark into barking mad.”

Mr Barber chose not to respond to the comments, saying views were up to individuals.

Most local LNP members would not comment, including former member for Longman Mal Brough, who said he knew nothing about Mr Barber.

Federal Member for Fairfax Alex Somlyay said he could not comment on Mr Barber because he had not met him.

“But people have mentioned him,” he said.

“I did hear (regional chairman) Greg Newton was very keen on him. I heard the bloke was cashed up and supported the party financially.”

Mr Newton did not return calls but a spokeswoman said Mr Barber had not run for pre-selection in Longman.