The Liberal Party candidate for the federal seat of Gellibrand has gone to ground following a furore over a post he made earlier this year on his Facebook page.
On January 22 Ben Willis posted that “if you describe Australia Day as “invasion day” you need a high five. In the face. With a chair.”
Since news of the post emerged he has taken down his ‘Ben Willis – Liberal for Gellibrand’ Facebook campaign page.
Mr Willis has apologised on Twitter and provided a statement through the Victorian Liberal Party branch.
“I unreservedly apologise for this comment,” it said.
“As I also commented on Facebook that same day: ‘Australia Day is also a celebration of the nation’s Indigenous heritage and how the first peoples of Australia are now considered equal under the law, which is exactly how it should be’.
“I am incredibly proud to call myself Australian, and I am proud of both our Aboriginal heritage and also our British heritage.”
Labor campaign spokeswoman Penny Wong called on the Liberal party to dump Mr Willis as the candidate in next weekend’s election, arguing the comments are unacceptable.
“This bloke casually just suggests that he wants to hit someone in the face with a chair because they use a word he doesn’t like,” she told the ABC.
“That’s not acceptable generally and certainly not acceptable from someone who is the endorsed candidate from a party of government.”
Ms Wong said it is up to Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to act.
“This is his candidate — he needs to respond. And I would say a strong leader would disendorse this candidate and a responsible leader would condemn his comments.”
Mr Turnbull was last week asked if he accepted Australia had been invaded.
“Well, I think it can be fairly described as that and I’ve got no doubt obviously our first Aboriginal Australians describe it as an invasion,” he said.
Mr Turnbull was questioned on Wednesday about the Facebook post by Mr Willis.
“I understand the candidate in question has made an apology, a rather comprehensive apology for that.”
Finance Minister Mathias Cormann told reporters the post by Mr Willis was unacceptable and he had apologised.
Mr Willis, of Footscray, works in human resources and studies law part-time.
Sitting Labor MP Tim Watts and Greens candidate Jonathon Marsden declined to comment.
