Western Australia's Liberal leader has been forced to defend the party's election campaign after a candidate linked the COVID-19 pandemic to 5G technology.
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Former youth pastor Andrea Tokaji was forced to quit as the Liberal candidate for Baldivis after it emerged she had promoted the conspiracy theory in an article on a conservative Christian news website.
A report by The West Australian newspaper on Thursday included screenshots of since-deleted Facebook posts claiming the coronavirus had originated in a Chinese laboratory and endorsing the views of disgraced celebrity chef Pete Evans.
It is another blow to the Liberals' stuttering campaign and one that has placed further scrutiny on other candidates for the March election.
Opposition Leader Zak Kirkup on Thursday appeared at a campaign event alongside the party's candidate for Burns Beach, Trish Botha, another former church pastor who ran unsuccessfully on the Liberals' Senate ticket in 2019.
Ms Botha was questioned about comments made by her husband and fellow pastor Paul Botha, who told congregants in 2018 that his wife would be "representing the voice of God, the desires of the church ... in the highest levels of government".
"That matter was dealt with back in 2018 and ultimately I'm not responsible for what my husband said," Ms Botha told reporters.
"If it means that I will be caring for my community and kind and working with my community, serving my community, I've got no problem announcing that that's what my faith represents.
"My values happen to align with the values of the party."
Ms Botha added that she hadn't worked in ministry for five years.
Some WA Liberal MPs have long held concerns about the influence of a Christian right faction on the party, particularly at a grassroots level and on preselection.
Mr Kirkup, a socially progressive first-term MP, sought to diffuse concerns over his candidates.
"Let's make sure we don't go down the path of trying to confuse the Christian values of those who believe with Christ with what's been put out there by the former candidate for Baldivis with those dangerous conspiracy theories," he said.
"I've got candidates from a very diverse range of backgrounds. This is the beauty of the Liberal Party."
Australian Associated Press
