Does Matthew Guy Support His Candidate’s Extreme Views On First Peoples?

Matthew Guy had to disendorse Liberal candidates for their extreme views at the last election in 2018.

With more and more Liberal Party candidates voicing even more extreme views now, Matthew Guy needs to explain what’s different this time.

Matthew Guy’s Liberal Party Candidate for Narre Warren North, Timothy Dragan, has been caught out making the following remarks about First Nations people:

“There’s no such thing as traditional Australians. Because Australia is a post-colonial concept.”

“We won this land fair and square. It’s like telling Britain to give the land back to the Vikings, and the Vikings to give it back to the Romans. And same with Romania — to give Transylvania back to the Hungarians. I mean, come on man, it’s bollocks. It’s absolute bollocks.”

“Everything that you find now, all these institutions, even this government thing they got, it’s European – it’s not bloody Aboriginal.”

“If we’re going to go by what’s Aboriginal, we might as well abolish everything, get our camping chairs and live in the desert.”

·        The Age, Sunday 20 November 2022

Mr Dragan reportedly also:

·        Said he was “100 per cent opposed” to a treaty with First Nations people

·        Claimed he was Indigenous because he was born in Australia

·        Said the only time he cared about “pre-Australian” history was at a museum

·        Declared that Indigenous education in schools should be wound back

Quotes attributable to Minister for Treaty and First Peoples Gabrielle Williams

“These comments on First Nations people from the Liberal Candidate for Narre Warren North are extreme, disgraceful, and downright unacceptable. There’s no place for this type of bigotry in Victoria.”

“Matthew Guy needs to come clean with Victorians: does he accept these extreme views? Will he accept them in his party room – or will he rightly disendorse this extremist candidate?”