'Not my views': Hanson rejects former candidate's homophobic comments

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has publicly distanced herself from homophobic statements made by a former candidate for her party in Western Australia. Parminder Singh, who ran for an upper house seat in the state election last year, made the controversial remarks in a video clip shared online.

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No, no, it's a mental illness. No-one born anything … I blame on the parents because parents are too busy.

In the video, Singh stated that he does not believe people are born gay, calling homosexuality a "mental illness" and suggesting that parents are to blame for their children's sexual orientation due to being "too busy." Speaking to reporters outside Parliament House in Canberra, Hanson clarified that Singh is no longer associated with One Nation and that his views are his own and do not reflect the party's stance.

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I know he's made comments ... he's not a candidate. He's an individual that has his own views. He's not standing for One Nation ... they're not my views.

Labor upper house member Dr. Katrina Stratton strongly denounced Singh's comments, labeling them as dangerous, deeply offensive, and outdated. She pointed out that homosexuality has not been classified as a mental illness for 53 years, highlighting how out of step Singh's views are. Dr. Stratton urged other parliamentarians to use their platform to condemn such harmful perspectives, emphasizing that they have no place in modern Australia.

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Not only outdated, but deeply offensive and deeply harmful, including to the young people Mr Singh claims to be so concerned about.

Singh's profile was initially visible on the One Nation website but was removed after inquiries were made by the ABC. While Hanson does not have the power to officially disendorse candidates, the removal of his profile was seen as a significant statement. Federal MP Barnaby Joyce also commented, stating he did not concur with Singh's views and that removing him from the website was a "strong statement."

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I hope that others, including leaders in this place, step up to that megaphone to denounce these dangerous views, to say there is no place for them in modern Australia, in modern Western Australia.