One Nation's candidate for Melbourne, Matthew Collins, has resigned after a series of offensive tweets surfaced, including a post in which he said he had never asked a woman for consent. The party accepted his resignation and said it did not condone the comments.
Matthew Collins, 35, was running for One Nation in the Greens-held seat of Melbourne. He withdrew his candidacy on Friday after it was revealed he had shared pornographic jokes and offensive statements on social media. Collins had previously promoted anti-Muslim rhetoric and COVID-19 conspiracy theories online. In one post from February 2020, Collins wrote: "I've never once asked any woman for any form of consent, ever." In another, he suggested consent was "cringe" and joked about the number of times he had previously asked a woman for consent. A separate post referred to his sexual activities during the pandemic.
Collins apologised in a statement for his past comments, describing them as "unacceptable" and saying they are "not reflective of who I am as a person now". A One Nation spokesperson said the party had been made aware of the comments, adding: "Our party does not condone these comments."
According to the party's candidate profile, Collins was newly married and worked in sales. He was running to restore community safety and ease cost-of-living pressures. The latest Resolve Political Monitor for this masthead shows One Nation polling at 23 per cent of the primary vote, suggesting it could gain a significant presence in the next Victorian parliament.
Analysis
Why this matters
- The resignation highlights potential vulnerabilities in One Nation's candidate vetting process ahead of a state election.
- Collins's comments could affect the party's standing with voters, particularly as it polls strongly in Victoria.
- The incident may shift focus in the Greens-held seat of Melbourne, where One Nation was mounting a challenge.
Background
Matthew Collins was announced as One Nation's candidate for the federal seat of Melbourne, currently held by the Greens. Before his candidacy, he posted a series of explicit and offensive messages on X (formerly Twitter), including statements about consent, anti-Muslim rhetoric and COVID-19 conspiracies. One Nation accepted his resignation after the posts were reported.
Key perspectives
Matthew Collins: apologised for the comments, calling them "unacceptable" and saying they do not reflect his current self. One Nation spokesperson: stated the party does not condone the comments and accepted Collins's resignation.
What to watch
- Whether other candidates for One Nation in Victoria face similar scrutiny.
- The impact of this resignation on One Nation's polling numbers and campaign credibility.
- Any further statements from Collins or the party regarding the seat of Melbourne.
Checked
11 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 10 supported.
Show each claim
- SupportedOne Nation candidate Matthew Collins resigned over offensive tweets.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: “One Nation candidate for Melbourne resigns over offensive tweets.”
- SupportedComments about consent and anti-Muslim rhetoric emerged, and the party accepted Collins’s resignation.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: “A One Nation spokesperson said the party had been made aware of a number of “offensive comments” posted on social media by Collins and had accepted his resignation.”
- SupportedCollins’s resignation followed the surfacing of offensive tweets, including a post about never asking a woman for consent.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: “One Nation’s candidate for Melbourne has resigned over a series of highly sexualised and offensive tweets, including one in which he claimed to have never asked a woman for “any form” of sexual consent.”
- SupportedCollins wrote, “I've never once asked any woman for any form of consent, ever.”Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: ““I’ve never once asked any woman for any form of consent, ever,””
- SupportedThe One Nation spokesperson said the party did not condone Collins’s comments.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: ““Our party does not condone these comments,” the spokesperson said.”
- SupportedCollins, 35, was running for One Nation in the Greens-held seat of Melbourne.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: “Matthew Collins was running for One Nation in the Greens-held seat of Melbourne. ... the 35-year-old”
- SupportedCollins withdrew his candidacy on Friday after reports that he had shared pornographic jokes and offensive social-media statements.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: “Matthew Collins ... withdrew his candidacy on Friday after it was revealed he had shared pornographic jokes and offensive statements on social media.”
- SupportedCollins had previously promoted anti-Muslim rhetoric and COVID-19 conspiracy theories online.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: “Matthew Collins, who has previously promoted anti-Muslim rhetoric and COVID-19 conspiracy theories online”
- SupportedIn another post, Collins suggested consent was “cringe” and joked about how often he had asked a woman for consent.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: “In another post, Collins suggested sexual consent was “cringe” and joked about the number of times he had previously asked a woman for consent.”
- SupportedCollins apologised for his past comments, calling them “unacceptable” and saying they were “not reflective of who I am as a person now”.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: “In a statement provided to this masthead, the 35-year-old apologised for his past comments and described them as “unacceptable”. “They are not reflective of who I am as a person now, and I deeply regret ever having made them,” Collins said.”
- Partly supportedThe latest Resolve Political Monitor for the masthead showed One Nation on 23 per cent of the primary vote, suggesting it could gain a significant presence in the next Victorian parliament.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: “The latest Resolve Political Monitor conducted for this masthead shows that One Nation was currently polling at a 23 per cent primary vote , suggesting that the party will for the first time have a significant presence in the next Victorian parliament.”