Overview
- The Victorian Liberal Party publicly withdrew its support for Paul Lindemann on Wednesday after coverage linked racist comments about Indigenous Australians to an anonymised Facebook account associated with him.
- The posts used dehumanising language and terms with a harmful colonial history, including references to “half‑breed” and claims that Indigenous people were “never civilised,” as reported by multiple outlets.
- Because the disendorsement came after the election nomination deadline, Lindemann will remain listed on ballot papers as the Liberal candidate for Williamstown despite the party cutting ties.
- Earlier reporting also revealed Lindemann was suspended for six weeks by Basketball Victoria last year for belittling an under‑14 player, an episode he apologised for and the party said would have impacted preselection if known.
- Indigenous leaders and Victoria’s Treaty body welcomed the party’s action, campaign rivals used the revelations in messaging, and the episode has intensified scrutiny of candidate vetting during a tightly contested state campaign.