Image
Camera IconImage Credit: Supplied/Supplied

Dumped One Nation candidate slams party as ‘reprehensible’

Ben SmithComment News

DUMPED One Nation candidate for Thornlie Sandra Baraiolo has slammed the party as “reprehensible.”

Ms Baraiolo was disendorsed by One Nation over what she said were issues relating to her Facebook page.

The party released a statement saying she did not meet party standards.

PerthNow Digital Edition.
Your local paper, whenever you want it.

Get in front of tomorrow's news for FREE

Journalism for the curious Australian across politics, business, culture and opinion.

READ NOW

Ms Baraiolo refuted claims she was not easy to work with.

“I’ve always been a team player because I was the one who arranged the halls every time we had our face-to-face meetings. I was the one who arranged the halls and paid for the hall,” she said.

“She (One Nation leader Pauline Hanson) comes out in the media and says I’m not a team player, I‘m rude, I’m arrogant, and I’m sub-standard.

“I’ve helped other candidates with their Facebook pages and I’ve also gone to meetings with other candidates to give them moral support.

“While I was at a function with another One Nation candidate, I got disendorsed because I ‘wasn’t a team-player’.”

She accused the party of serious micro-managing and said they tried to constrict their candidates.

“This group of One Nation candidates have not worked together because they have not been allowed to work together,” Ms Baraiolo said.

“I was told who you could talk to and who you couldn’t talk to. It was made very clear that candidates should not talk to each other. You were not to converse with each other and encouraged to run your own campaign as individuals.

“The only time everyone came together was at teleconferences.”

Ms Baraiolo said she fell out of favour with the party when she created an identical Facebook page after she was barred from posting on the original page.

Even though she discussed the issue with the party and attempted to delete the page, she claimed it wasn’t enough.

Ms Baraiolo will now run as an independent in the state election – although she will still appear on the ballot paper as the One Nation candidate as she was disendorsed after the close of nominations – and said she hopes the community looks beyond her disendorsement.

“I would like to think people actually did a bit of research into me and make the decision themselves.”

One Nation couldn’t be reached for comment.