A political hopeful in the Australian Capital Territory has been dropped by the Liberal party just days after he was lauded as a quality candidate.

On Sunday Peter McKay was announced as the Liberal candidate for the inner-city seat of Kurrajong for the upcoming ACT election. Liberal leader Aistair Coe described McKay as a passionate advocate and put him forward as the perfect person to represent the party’s values. However 48 hours later Coe was asking for McKay’s resignation as a candidate after comments he’d made about homosexuality were highlighted, and his thoughts on Aboriginal Welcome to Country ceremonies surfaced.

In 2018 McKay made a submission to the Ruddock Review on Religious Freedom in which he described a rise of religious based terrorism in Australia, saying that the explosion at the headquarters of the Australian Christian Lobby in 2016 was an act of domestic terrorism.

McKay was critical of the actions of the Australian Federal Police and their investigation that found the man who had caused the fire was suffering a mental illness and trying to take his own life.

The Liberal candidate also argued that public debate had been suppressed on “the consequences of accepting or rejecting homosexuality regarding demographic effect, economic growth, health, increased government support for old age support, the emotional health of children, [and] premature transgender cutting”.

McKay also raised his concerns about Welcome to Country ceremonies arguing that they were an imposition on the religious freedom of public servants. In his submission he described the ceremonies he had attended as “animistic”.

“The last one I attended included the acknowledgement and worship of Aboriginal ancestors. This is similar to a number of animistic religions around the world. These religions did not result in the benefits of development that emanates from western civilisation,” he wrote. McKay said the government should be condemned for including Welcome to Country ceremonies in official functions.

Liberal Leader Alistair Coe said the vetting process for candidates had clearly not been efficient, and labelled McKay’s views as “disrespectful”.

“My vision of ensuring Canberra is the best place to live, work and raise a family, includes ensuring Canberra is inclusive of all people, regardless of their culture, ethnicity, faith, gender or sexuality,” Canberra Liberals leader Alistair Coe said.

“This prompt and decisive action underscores the seriousness in which I have taken this matter.”

OIP Staff

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