CONTENT WARNING: This article discusses homophobia.
Labor MP Jerome Laxale has found himself in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons after his dad, Alain Laxale, made homophobic comments at a Bennelong polling booth during the final days of the federal election campaign.
The incident happened on Wednesday, right in the middle of what’s shaping up to be one of the country’s tightest election battles.
Alain was caught on camera turning to a Liberal Party volunteer and asking, “How’s your boyfriend?”
The volunteer replied, “I’m not gay, buddy.”
Alain then followed up with, “How’s your bum? How’s your bum, sore today?”
The volunteer, shocked, replied, “Excuse me?”
The exchange was witnessed and recorded by several people at the booth, and the video has since been seen by major news outlets.
The comments came after some tense moments at the booth, with volunteers holding up signs referencing old claims about Jerome Laxale’s personal life. Those claims, which first surfaced in 2022 from stories by the Daily Telegraph, involved allegations that Laxale had kept intimate photos of a woman. Importantly, there was no suggestion he had shared the images, and he denied any wrongdoing.
Jerome Laxale quickly responded to the incident, issuing a statement to the media: “I love my Dad, but the things he said were deeply offensive and completely unacceptable. He should not have said them. I’ve spoken to him and he regrets them, and apologises unreservedly.”
No other Labor Party members have commented on the situation.
The Labor Party has also been dealing with other issues at the Bennelong booth, including complaints to the Australian Electoral Commission about volunteers from the Heart Party, who were accused of taunting Laxale and obstructing his movements outside the polling place.
“At least three volunteers for ‘the Heart Party’ followed the local Labor MP, Jerome Laxale, around the area outside the PPVC – brandishing signs, making inappropriate comments and generally obstructing the movements of Mr Laxale and people who wished to engage with Mr Laxale,” the letter to the AEC stated, per Sydney Morning Herald.
This all comes as Laxale faces a tough fight to hold onto Bennelong, a seat he won from the Liberals in 2022. After a boundary redraw, the seat is now notionally Liberal with a razor-thin margin, making every moment on the campaign trail count.
Lead image: Facebook / News.com.au
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