One Nation Queensland candidate Andy Semple withdraws after inappropriate tweets
Updated
Pauline Hanson's One Nation party has defended its vetting process after losing a candidate within days of announcing its team for the next Queensland election.
The party's state secretary, Jim Savage, said Currumbin candidate Andy Semple withdrew his nomination after people within the party raised concerns about inappropriate comments he had made on Twitter.
On Sunday, Senator Hanson announced 36 candidates who would stand at the next Queensland election and that there were plans to announce more soon.
Mr Savage said he had not seen the tweet in question but believed it related to LGBTIQ issues.
"I believe it was just a bit of a joke," Mr Savage said.
"It might have been harmless and well intentioned, and it might be stuff that passes the pub test, but it's not something that passes the standards of a One Nation candidate."
In December 2011, Mr Semple tweeted a comment critical of gay marriage targeting Labor senator Penny Wong.
In a tweet on December 7 this year, Mr Semple was critical of women wearing burkas.
"Definition of an idiot. Woman in full burka uses paper to hide her eye slot while leaving NSW District Court."
Mr Semple announced his decision to stand down via Twitter on Monday night, one day after his candidacy was announced.
"Sadly, I have withdrawn my #PHON candidacy for Currumbin It seems #PHON only likes certain types of Freedom of Expression," he tweeted on December 19.
Mr Savage said the party had been looking at the social media accounts of potential candidates.
"We are a serious political party and we have been checking and this one slipped through the net," he said.
"I mean you try going through a couple of hundred potential candidates and try to track down every single thing you've ever said in their lifetime."
Mr Savage said Mr Semple is entitled to express his opinions, but "we didn't consider it appropriate material for a One Nation candidate so there was a parting of the ways".
It comes soon after West Australian One Nation senator Rod Culleton resigned from the party.
Party leader senator Pauline Hanson said on Monday that candidate vetting processes had been toughened following the party's experience with Senator Culleton.
"They've been through a very tight, stringent test of questions and asking where their loyalties lie," she said.
But when asked if there were any bad apples in her Queensland election team, Senator Hanson said she was "as confident as anyone can possibly be".
"There's no guarantees in life," she said.
Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce said the party's troubles reminded him of the demise of the Palmer United Party.
"I've seen this movie before — last time it was called Clive Palmer and this time it's called One Nation," he said.
Topics: one-nation, political-parties, government-and-politics, elections, state-parliament, currumbin-4223, qld, australia, brisbane-4000, southport-4215
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