JUST how forgiving is the Bendigo electorate? Revelations this week that one-time state Liberal candidate Jack Lyons is considering standing again at the 2018 election will no doubt come as a shock to many.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Mr Lyons’s last foray into the political realm, in 2014, ended in ignominy when a litany of highly offensive racist and sexist social media posts were made public. This was in no way a one-off slip of the thumb.
The dozens of posts in question were made over the course of three years and included derogatory references to women, people with disabilities and Bendigo’s Chinese community.
The resultant furore forced Mr Lyons to quit the contest for the marginal Bendigo West seat, which was comfortably held by Labor incumbent Maree Edwards.
Mr Lyons, in confirming his interest in contesting the 2018 election, told the Bendigo Advertiser this week that his “immature” posts did not reflect his views or beliefs.
“I haven’t murdered anyone or robbed anyone or anything like that,” he said.
On those points he is, of course, correct. However, even if the posts did not reflect his views or beliefs, as he claims, they do provide an unflattering insight into his judgement.
Mr Lyons was not the first and will not be the last politician or political aspirant to learn the hard way the perils of social media.
Some such as Foreign Minister Julie Bishop and former NSW premier Mike Baird harness the power of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and the like to boost their “brand” and connect directly with voters.
But many others, such as a string of gormless One Nation candidates recently, have torpedoed their own political ambitions through injudicious use of social media.
The question that ultimately only the voters can answer is whether people who post this muck and then stand for office deserve a second chance?
Mr Lyons certainly thinks so, saying that in the intervening years he has used his experienced to educate students about the “dos and don’ts of social media”.
However, it was not that these comments were posted on social media that brought Mr Lyons undone, it was that they were made at all. Only further interrogation will reveal if Mr Lyons truly understands that important distinction.
How forgiving is the Bendigo electorate? We might just find out next year.
- Ross Tyson, deputy editor
