Arabic version: هانسون ترفض آراء مرشح سابق معادية للمثليين

According to ABC News, One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has distanced herself from homophobic statements by Parminder Singh, a former Western Australian One Nation candidate who said gay people had a “mental illness”. Hanson said Singh was no longer a party candidate and that his views were not hers.

Singh ran unsuccessfully for an upper house seat at Western Australia’s 2025 state election, where he was third on One Nation WA’s Legislative Council ticket. He is not contesting the upcoming Secret Harbour by-election, although he has posted social media content campaigning for One Nation candidate Luke Herdegen.

One Nation’s WA leader Rod Caddies said Singh’s interview did not reflect the party’s views and that he had not been authorised to make the comments. Caddies said Singh had contacted him after the ABC raised the video, saying he was disappointed in himself and had let the party down. He also said gay people deserved to feel “equal in society”.

WA Labor upper house member Katrina Stratton described the remarks as dangerous, deeply offensive and outdated, noting homosexuality had not been classified as a mental illness for 53 years. WA Labor minister John Carey, who is openly gay, called the comments “extreme, divisive and nasty” and said they could affect LGBTQIA+ young people. Singh’s profile appeared to be removed from the One Nation website after ABC enquiries.