One Nation Removes Victorian Election Candidate Following Social Media Disclosures

One Nation has removed its candidate for the Victorian seat of Preston ahead of the state election following the emergence of social media posts concerning Adolf Hitler. The party stated that it acted immediately to disendorse the candidate over offensive comments related to the Holocaust, while conceding that its candidate vetting process requires improvement.

The disendorsed candidate, Franco Guardiani, was dropped after online posts circulated showing him labelling the Nazi dictator as the "GOAT", an acronym for the "greatest of all time". Additional posts and reposts on his social media accounts shared content about the Nazi leader, questioned the historical death toll of the Holocaust, and expressed antisemitic and anti-Islam viewpoints.

Speaking to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Mr Guardiani confirmed that the account belonged to him and stated regarding his dismissal that the party "does what it sees fit". He added that he believes in free speech and that individuals should be able to express their views and question matters.

Labor MP Nathan Lambert, who holds the seat of Preston, described the allegations as serious prior to the disendorsement and stated that Nazi ideology has no place in Victorian politics. One Nation previously dropped another Melbourne candidate earlier in the month over misogynistic social media posts.

Mr Guardiani has a history of political candidacies in the region, having contested the overlapping federal seat of Batman in 2013 for the Palmer United Party and running again as an independent candidate in 2016.