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Abbott backs 'racist, homophobic' candidate By staff writers From: AAP August 10, 2010 3:41PM
OPPOSITION Leader Tony Abbott has backed a Liberal candidate in hot water over perceived racist, sexist and homophobic comments made more than a decade ago.
George Christensen, who is trying his luck in the marginal Queensland seat of Dawson for the coalition, is under scrutiny over a university magazine he edited in 1998.
In it, one article expresses concern over a new version of the Bible that "removed accusations that the Jews killed Christ".
An editorial piece written by the former journalism student also said that "women are bloody stupid" and reproduced a joke about a gay man dying of AIDS, Fairfax reports.
Mr Christensen has since apologised, saying the comments were made in jest.
Mr Abbott backed his candidate today, dismissing the remarks as "colourful stuff"
."There's colourful stuff from my uni days, there's colourful stuff from (Prime Minister) Julia Gillard's uni days," he told reporters in Sydney.
"If there's colourful stuff from George Christensen's uni days, I think we just have to accept that uni is a colourful place and move on."
Mr Christensen was an outstanding candidate who was going to to be ``a far, far better member for Dawson than the incumbent.
"(He) is a good bloke and I stand by him."
The same level of support was not offered to dumped Liberal candidate David Barker in the Sydney seat of Chifley in July.
He was disendorsed by the party after making anti-Muslim remarks and questioning the atheism of Ms Gillard.
Read more: http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news...#ixzz0x77oiStg
OPPOSITION Leader Tony Abbott has backed a Liberal candidate in hot water over perceived racist, sexist and homophobic comments made more than a decade ago.
George Christensen, who is trying his luck in the marginal Queensland seat of Dawson for the coalition, is under scrutiny over a university magazine he edited in 1998.
In it, one article expresses concern over a new version of the Bible that "removed accusations that the Jews killed Christ".
An editorial piece written by the former journalism student also said that "women are bloody stupid" and reproduced a joke about a gay man dying of AIDS, Fairfax reports.
Mr Christensen has since apologised, saying the comments were made in jest.
Mr Abbott backed his candidate today, dismissing the remarks as "colourful stuff"
."There's colourful stuff from my uni days, there's colourful stuff from (Prime Minister) Julia Gillard's uni days," he told reporters in Sydney.
"If there's colourful stuff from George Christensen's uni days, I think we just have to accept that uni is a colourful place and move on."
Mr Christensen was an outstanding candidate who was going to to be ``a far, far better member for Dawson than the incumbent.
"(He) is a good bloke and I stand by him."
The same level of support was not offered to dumped Liberal candidate David Barker in the Sydney seat of Chifley in July.
He was disendorsed by the party after making anti-Muslim remarks and questioning the atheism of Ms Gillard.
Read more: http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news...#ixzz0x77oiStg