Wed Sep 25 02:58:47 UTC 2024: ## Canberra Liberals Candidate Accused of Racist and Offensive Social Media Posts
Canberra Liberals candidate for the upcoming October election, Darren Roberts, has been accused of making racist and offensive comments on social media under a pseudonym. ACT Labor has alleged that Roberts used the pseudonym “Bert Poppins” to post controversial content, including negative commentary on the Voice to Parliament proposal, derogatory remarks about Indigenous senator Lidia Thorpe, and criticism of gender diversity.
The posts, which have now been made private, were discovered on a Facebook profile linked to Roberts’ official Instagram account. They include comments such as “How can a city be renamed with an Aboriginal place name when it didn’t exist until the colonists built it?” and “This is not men’s fashion, it is a mental disorder.”
ACT Labor has called for the Canberra Liberals to take action against Roberts, demanding that party leader Elizabeth Lee disclose when she became aware of the posts and what action she took.
The controversy comes as the Canberra Liberals face further scrutiny following the removal of Ginninderra MLA Elizabeth Kikkert as a candidate. Kikkert was dropped by the party due to alleged non-compliance with donation disclosure rules and unacceptable conduct in the workplace. However, a leaked video appears to show Kikkert holding her phone in the face of a staffer, prompting her to deny any physical contact and call for the release of the full CCTV footage. Kikkert has since joined the Family First party.
The allegations against Roberts and the controversy surrounding Kikkert add further pressure to the Canberra Liberals ahead of the October election.
First Piper 