Politics

‘No respect’: One Nation candidate’s lewd social media posts exposed

May 01, 2019

Sexual posts from One Nation candidate Ross McDonald's social media page have been uncovered. Source: Facebook/ Ross Macdonald and Getty

Pauline Hanson’s One Nation party has found itself in hot water for the second time this week, after a series of lewd social media posts were discovered on a candidate’s social media page just days after footage was leaked of Steve Dickson groping female dancers at a US strip club.

The shocking photos were reportedly published on hopeful Ross Macdonald’s Facebook page – he is running for the Queensland seat of Leichhardt – and show the candidate touching a woman’s breasts along with a number of digitally altered images of a sexual nature, and published initially by News Corp.

While the disturbing images have since been deleted from Macdonald’s account, a selection of the photos have been shared online by shocked members of the public, including one post which described him as having “no respect for women”.

The Twitter post included a montage of images said to have been shared by Macdonald, including an image of a woman, with prominent nipples, wearing a shirt which reads “save a virgin, do me instead”. While another features a digitally altered image of a naked woman resembling a centaur, alongside the caption: “MMMM!!!… Interesting thoughts”.

Ross Macdonald is a @OneNationAus candidate. These are just some of the images from his socials. @PaulineHansonOz is inviting men with no respect for women into her ranks. His posts show that he only sees women as things to be poked, prodded, demeaned and laughed at. #auspol2019 pic.twitter.com/nQpg21yVCT

— Sherele Moody (Femicide Researcher) 🌈 (@ShereleMoody) April 30, 2019

According to the Cairn’s Post, who broke the story on Tuesday, there were further sexually suggestive photos on Macdonald’s page including one which allegedly showed him holding up raffle tickets in front of a topless woman.

The candidate has reportedly been absent from a number of events in the lead up to the election such as the voting ticket ballot draw and a candidates’ debate on Wednesday morning. While his election corflutes are also notably missing.

The discovery comes just days after senate hopeful Steve Dickson resigned from his position with One Nation after footage of the married politician touching women, stuffing dollar bills between their breasts and uttering a stream of lewd comments was broadcast on Channel Nine’s A Current Affair program.

In the footage Dickson can be seen putting notes into the bra and underwear of one dancer who joins him at a table, before telling the women to touch his genitals. He can also be seen approaching her as she performs on stage, once again putting more dollar bills in her underwear.

“I’m going to give her my address,” he then tells Muller. “Mate she said she will come over and *** me. She’s keen I think. I’ve asked her, she said she wants to come home and suck my ****.”

The video was originally captured as part of an Al-Jazeera investigation into One Nation, which concluded with the airing of two part documentary How to Sell a Massacre which aired last month on the ABC.

It was recorded by undercover journalist Rodger Muller at a strip club in Washington DC last year, during the same trip which saw Dickson and One Nation Chief of Staff James Ashby embroiled in a lobbying scandal after they were filmed meeting with senior NRA officials.

Obviously distraught by the revelations Hanson broke down in tears during an emotional interview with A Current Affair’s Tracy Grimshaw on Tuesday night.

“I’ve worked at this for 23 years since I was first elected to parliament in 1996. I’ve had my ups and downs with this and I feel I just keep getting kicked in the guts time and time again and it all happens right before an election,” she explained.

Hanson said she was “disgusted” by the vision but claimed the footage was a “sting” to bring One Nation down.

“Why is everyone so frightened of One Nation?” she asked.

Starts at 60 has approached One Nation for comment.