This was published 7 years ago
One Nation loses third Queensland candidate as Peter Rogers dumped
By Toby Crockford
One Nation has lost its third Queensland candidate since December, with party leader Pauline Hanson dumping the candidate for Mulgrave, in the state's far north, Peter Rogers.
Mr Rogers, 57, said he was "given the flick" on Friday evening via conference call with Ms Hanson, James Ashby and Steve Dickson, who defected from the LNP to One Nation on January 13.
The reason behind the dumping was a conspiracy-laden article which contained claims about a refugee Syrian toddler found lying dead on a Turkish beach and the Port Arthur massacre.
It said the toddler was still alive and the massacre in Tasmania 20 years ago, where 35 people were murdered, was a fabrication.
Former One Nation candidate Peter Rogers.Credit: Facebook
Mr Rogers said a friend had written the post and he wasn't aware of what it said, but Ms Hanson responded by saying he had been been stupid to surrender control of his own website.
Mr Rogers said he wasn't surprised by Friday's decision, but said the way in which he was told was "very sneaky".
He believed the party had someone else ready to replace him and added "nothing surprises me with One Nation any more".
Despite the disappointment, Mr Rogers said his phone hadn't stopped ringing since the early hours of Saturday with messages of support, which he described as "unbelievable and phenomenal".
One Nation leader Pauline Hanson Credit: Lisa Maree Williams
Since his disendorsement Mr Rogers said he now had "a few offers on the table" after being contacted by "a lot of ex-One Nation people".
He added he was giving the idea of running as an independent some thought, so "watch this space".
However, while One Nation lost a candidate, they gained another overnight.
Former LNP member for Thuringowa Sam Cox defected to One Nation and will contest the seat of Burdekin in north Queensland.
Ms Hanson posted on Facebook welcoming Mr Cox, saying he will be "a powerful voice for the people of the Burdekin".
One Nation also lost the candidate for Bundamba earlier in the month when Shan Ju Lin was disendorsed, following a since-deleted Facebook post stating gay people engaged in "abnormal sexual behaviour" and "should be treated as patients".
Another candidate, Andy Semple withdrew in late December after he was asked by the party to delete a controversial tweet.