Scott Morrison defends Liberal candidate who compared same-sex marriage and paedophilia
Image: Prime Minister Scott Morrison. Image: ABC News.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has defended Liberal candidate for Scullin, Gurpal Singh, following renewed calls for him to stand down over past homophobic comments.
In an interview discussing the postal survey on same-sex marriage in 2017, Singh said that marriage equality was “against nature” and said it was related to “an issue of paedophilia”.
Singh told SBS Radio that marriage equality could have “a very serious implication on the kids” and that “in these situations the occurrence [of paedophilia] can be high.”
Singh last week apologised “unreservedly” for the comments, but did not stand down from candidacy voluntarily or at the behest of the Liberal Party.
Pressure has mounted on the Liberal Party to drop Singh following the resignations of Liberal candidate Peter Killin over anti-LGBTI blog comments made late last year, and pressure from Morrison on Labor to drop Melbourne candidate Luke Creasey – who withdrew from the election last week – over offensive social media posts from 2012.
Morrison was pressed on why Singh’s comments have allowed him to continue to stand after the Prime Minister last week said of Creasey’s posts that “the standard you walk by is the standard you accept”.
“That matter was dealt with by the party organisation several weeks ago,” Morrison said today in response to questions from a journalist at a doorstop.
“What did they do to deal with it Prime Minister? You said that they dealt with it, what did they do?” the reporter asked.
“His candidacy has continued,” Morrison said.
The journalist then asked if that meant Morrison believes the comments are acceptable.
“I don’t accept that,” Morrison said.
“Why did he keep the job?” the reporter asked.
“Sorry,” the Prime Minister replied, before moving on to the next question.
NSW Labor senator Kristina Keneally today slammed the PM for holding a double standard in standing by Singh’s candidacy.
“Based on his own test and failure to show any leadership, Scott Morrison accepts this standard from his candidate for Scullin,” Keneally said in a statement.
The Institute of Many’s Nic Holas also questioned why the standard being applied to other candidates did not apply to Singh.
“How is it that Luke Creasey and Jessica Whelan can both be dumped by Labor and the Liberals for their comments, but Gurpal Singh remains in the running despite linking same-sex marriage with paedophilia?” Holas said on Twitter.
So Mr Morrison, what’s the standard? #AusVotes19
— Andrew Giles MP (@andrewjgiles) May 8, 2019
Singh’s opponent in Scullin, sitting Labor member Andrew Giles, tweeted simply: “So Mr Morrison, what’s the standard?”
So in other words the liberal party is the party that endorses and protects both child molesting teachers and priests within Australian religious schools, while at the same time still legally allowing the continuation of expelling both gay students and teachers. Completely got it now in one! Vote 1 Labor. Please vote Labor to protect our LGBTQI rights.
Labour isn’t much better either as there side on the LGBTI gay marriage wasn’t all in favour of it either. If you believe that all of the Labour side is in favour for the LGBTI than you must have your head in the sand as some of there side voted against the gay marriage as well. The Liberal side has a very big side of the young LGBTI party coming though.
No Labor MP opposed or abstained from voting for marriage equality in 2017. Many Coalition MPs did, including those who had electorates who voted for marriage equality like Tony Abbott and Barnaby Joyce.
Sure some ALP pollies opposed marriage equality in 2012 (like KRudd and Gillard, also supposedly pro-equality Libs like Turnbull and Pyne voted against then too) but as cases like this Gurpul Singh bizzo show the Libs are many years behind the rest of Australia.
LGBTIQA+s in parliament (and our supporters) should be unified to teach all blinkered ignoramuses in parliament (and the wider community) the difference, *and* that the consistent slurs *do* effect the psychological- and physical-welfare of LGBTIQA+ vulnerables (by bashings, bullying, self-harm and suicides).
The Liberal Party has become the party of haters, liars, agenda-driven lunatics and all the other Andrew Bolt fans.
To think Cory Bernardi felt the need to quit the Libs and form his own Conservative party! How lonely poor Cory must be, sadly looking through the windows watching all the other homophobes having such a good time at their (Liberal) party.
Singh’s comments comments are quiet laughable when everybody knows 99% of phedo’s are hetrosexual males.
There’s a fresh news story nearly everyweek regarding hetro males and their innocent victims,from stalking to hidden cameras,to kidnapping
Always hetro male’s 10-1.
Never trust a hetrosexual male and their hiidden agendas.