One Nation distanced itself from the candidate following statements about his homosexuality
Australia’s One Nation party removed the page of former Western Australia candidate Parminder Singh from its website after it was revealed that he had referred to homosexuality as a mental illness. Party leader Pauline Hanson stated that these views do not reflect her own position, and One Nation’s Western Australia leader Rod Caddis said that Singh’s comments do not represent the party’s stance, according to ABC News Australia.
Barnaby Joyce, who has joined One Nation, also distanced himself from Singh’s remarks. Speaking on ABC, he stated that there is a significant proportion of gay people in the party and that such comments are extremely offensive. Joyce did not confirm whether Singh had been stripped of the party’s endorsement as a candidate, but noted that the removal of his profile from the website sends a strong signal.
At the same time, the removal of the page does not rule out the possibility of Singh being nominated for a vacant seat in the upper house of the Western Australian Parliament if one of the One Nation representatives leaves the legislature.
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The situation has once again drawn attention to One Nation’s controversial history on gay and lesbian rights. In 1996, Hanson said she did not approve of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras because she believed the festival promoted something “unnatural.” She recently stated that she still does not support the event, calling it her personal opinion.
One Nation’s South Australian leader, Cory Bernardi, stated this year that he stands by his 2012 remarks, in which he linked same-sex marriage to polygamy and bestiality. At the same time, the party elected Jason Virgo, an openly gay man, to the South Australian Parliament. In a speech, he spoke about his partner, a Muslim born in Indonesia who has become an Australian citizen.
ABC notes that One Nation is seeking to expand its electoral base to compete with the Liberal and National parties on the right wing of Australian politics. Same-sex marriage has been legal in Australia for over eight years, and the 2026 census is expected to provide more detailed data on the number of gay, lesbian, and bisexual people and where they live.
