Labor hopeful Luke Creasey withdraws candidacy over ‘awful’ social media posts
Image: Image: @creaseyluke / Twitter.
Labor candidate for Melbourne, Luke Creasey, has withdrawn from the election following controversy over past social media posts.
In a statement on Friday, Creasey said he had contacted the ALP to withdraw as Labor’s candidate in the seat held by Greens MP Adam Bandt.
“While I made those awful comments many years ago and they in no way reflect the views I hold today, I understand, especially as a member of the LGBTIQ community, that we need to be careful about what we share or like on social media,” the Rainbow Labor Victoria Co-Convenor and high school teacher said.
“I think this is a really important lesson for young people that your social media footprint will follow you.
“It is clear the right thing for me to do is to stand down.
“I would like to thank everyone that has helped me, both within the party and across the community. I am sorry if I have let you down.”
Since Wednesday, posts from Creasey’s Facebook page from around 2012 .
“I’m not going to defend the remarks, they were shocking and stupid,” Opposition Leader Bill Shorten said.
“But he’s also come forward and said he was 22 at the time, seven years ago. He is mortified as he should be.”
Prime Minister Scott Morrison had joined the Greens in criticising Creasey for the posts, which it was today revealed also .
“Only Bill Shorten can explain why he’s prepared to accept the ‘young man’s defence’ when it comes to excusing this sort of behaviour,” Morrison said.
The Liberal party today lost candidate Jessica Whelan, who stood down to run as an independent candidate over anti-Muslim social media posts.
Another , while another Liberal candidate .
A which referred to LGBTI people as “the most horrible people ever in my life” and labelled same-sex attracted women “dykes” and “big fat fugly chicks”.
The election will be held on May 18, assuming any of the candidates are left standing.
Joking around on Facebook or other social media is vastly different to joking around with friends at a bar or in someone’s kitchen. Facebook “comments” are published opinions, comments made verbally in private company are legally speaking vastly different things. It’s taken some folks a very long time to realise how different.
So glad as a Gen-Xer that social media was not a thing during my youth or I’d have a lot more to be embarrassed about now.
No apologies but surely this candidate as a member of the GLBTIQ Community, which despite laws etc. is still discriminated against and vilified would have had more sense.
It is said he made some of his stupid remarks when he was “just 18 years old.” So what? At that age he is considered to be an Adult and have the sense to think before he opened his mouth.
Just as we need equality of Gender in all of our parliaments we also need equality of representation of the GLBTIQ Community in those parliaments as well.
This silly young man has set the process back.