Owen Mulder has been endorsed as the Liberal party’s candidate for the seat of Dawesville. He’s brushed off questions about statements he’s made in the past about same sex couples.

Mulder was the sole preselection candidate for the once blue-ribbon seat of Dawesville in Perth’s south. The seat was previously held by former deputy premier Kim Hames and former party leader Zak Kirkup.

The West Australian has revealed that Mulder and his wife previously spoke out against same-sex couples be treated equally under the law.

In 2008 the Rudd government put forward the Same-Sex Relationships (Equal Treatment in Commonwealth Laws—Superannuation) Bill, legislation that removed discrimination against same-sex couples from 14 different acts of federal legislation.

When the legislation was analysed by the senate’s Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee, Owen Mulder sent in a submission outlining his views on same-sex couples.

“Marriage is, and must continue to be the union of one man and one woman to the exclusion of all others, voluntarily entered into for life,” their submission read.

“The above bill compromises this position, by seeking to give same-sex couples almost all the rights and benefits of marriage.”

The couple described same-sex couples as a “direct violation of God’s law”.

“Same-sex couple (sic) on the other hand are a direct violation of God’s law, which whether we acknowledge it or not, we are all subject to (and will eventually be required to give account to),” they wrote.

Asked about his views this week Mulder said the issue of marriage had been decided in 2017 by the Marriage Postal Survey, and his campaign heading into the election would focus on other issues such as the cost of living, crime rates and off-shore wind farms.

Prior to joining the Liberal party Mulder was previously a candidate for the Australian Christians, at the last election he was the Liberal candidate for the seat of Cockburn.