The Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party has dismissed a call by Deputy Premier John Barilaro to disendorse newly announced candidate Matthew Stadtmiller as “laughable”.
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On Thursday, former Member for Cootamundra Katrina Hodgkinson caused outrage when she commented “Zieg Heil” on a social media post announcing Mr Stadtmiller’s candidacy.
Since then it has been revealed Mr Stadtmiller has used Nazi slurs on others in the past, prompting Mr Barilaro to weigh back into the debate.
“Yesterday I condemned the comments made by the former Member for Cootamundra. They were inappropriate and appalling. They have no place in our community,” Mr Barilaro said in a statement issued to media today.
“Today the hateful and inappropriate speech from the Shooters candidate, Mr Stadtmiller, has been unveiled,” he continued.
Mr Barilaro said it appears that Mr Stadtmiller had no issues directing his own hateful and disgraceful propaganda at a NSW Government Minister, referring to a Facebook post on personal page of Mr Stadtmiller where he imposed a moustache on the face of Minister Paul Toole.
Speaking for the Shooters and Fishers today, Robert Borsak MLC said, “There is no comparison between Stadtmiller sharing somebody else’s FB post in the midst of a heated anti council amalgamation campaign as a newspaper editor and Hodgkinson directly calling him a Nazi”.
He accused Mr Barilaro of trying to distract from the main political agenda items that the Shooters and Fishers will be campaigning on.
“There are much more important issues that need to be campaigned on and brought to the attention of the community of Cootamundra,” Mr Borsak said.
Meanwhile, Mr Barilaro noted Mr Borsak’s deeply disgusted response to Ms Hodgkinson’s initial tweet.
“Today, you would expect him to be equally appalled by the language and references used by his own candidate,” Mr Barliaro said.
It appears Mr Borsak is not taking a backward step from the party’s candidate of choice for Cootamundra.
“Yesterday Barilaro was disowning Hodgkinson and running and hiding under the table from her abusive tweet. Today he is trying to distract from the main political agenda items that we will be campaigning on, to therefore suggest we not support Matthew Stadtmiller is laughable.”