Former Tasmanian Liberal candidate Jessica Whelan has conceded she made anti-Muslim immigration comments in social media posts, but insists she no longer holds those views.
Ms Whelan also confirmed she will contest the seat of Lyons as an independent candidate but later told ABC News that she would use the campaign period to spend time with her children.
"How much effort I put into campaigning over the next two weeks, I can't determine today. I just need a break," she said, ABC News reported.
Ms Whelan stepped down as the Liberal candidate on Friday after more screenshots of social media posts attributed to her emerged. One post included a reference to “filthy Muslim”.
The Hobart Mercury uncovered two new Facebook posts bearing the candidate's name and photograph.
One called for a national vote on banning Muslim immigration and the other argued Tasmania should not accept refugees from Syria and Iraq.
"Don't bloody send them to Tasmania. We don't want them," it said.
Liberal Candidate for Lyons Jessica Whelan. Source: AAP
Speaking to SBS News, Ms Whelan said she did not make a "horrendous" post that argued women who supported Islam should be mutilated and sold as slaves.
She said she may have made comments around penalty rates and the hospital system, attributed to her in state parliament.
"Not that I remember writing those exact posts but I certainly can stand here and say I would have written something along those lines so I'm sure they are my posts," she said.
Asked whether comments around Muslim immigration were hers, Ms Whelan conceded they were.
"Look I’m sure that I think back in 2017 might have been earlier ... I would have made some ill-informed comments," she said.
"It would have been an ill-informed comment that I would have made in the past. It is not my view now.
"I don’t even believe it’s an issue for Australia now," she said, saying the 'boats had stopped' and strong border protection was in place.
"These sorts of issues aren’t even on my mind anymore."
The Tasmanian Liberal Party on Friday said the posts were inappropriate.
"The Liberal Party was not aware of their existence until they were reported,” the statement said.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has slammed the Labor candidate and Mr Shorten. Source: AAP
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the posts had not been disclosed to the party at the time Ms Whelan nominated and was endorsed as a Liberal candidate.
“Under our rules, if you don't do that and if you're not straight up with the party about these things, the party reserves its right,” he told reporters on Friday.
Mr Morrison said the disputed post regarding genital mutilation would still be referred to the Australian Federal Police for investigation.
“Whether, from that point on, what her views are, they are matters for her, but for me and the party, the fact that it was established that these things had been said was enough for me, it was enough for the party.”
Mr Morrison also explained why he had stood by Ms Whelan just a day ago when he said it was not hard to believe that images could be doctored.
“The other matters that have now come to light had not come to light (at the time),” he said.
Ms Whelan told SBS News she would continue campaigning as an independent and would stand as an independent should she be elected.
Internal Liberal party polling showed it was a close contest between her and the Labor candidate, she said.
"People are vouching their support for me, if I don’t put my hand up and stand here as an independent we’re technically just handing the seat back to (Labor's) Brian Mitchell," she said.
"I’m in a better position now to voice my opinions more freely," Ms Whelan added, saying she'd demand an increase to the rate of Newstart should she be elected."
She also said she was devastated by death threats made against herself and her family.
“People made those comments to me based on the fact that they think I made comments that I didn’t make."
Ms Whelan said she was considering legal action regarding the disputed posts.
A party spokesman said the particular post regarding genital mutilation appeared to have been digitally manipulated.
"Ms Whelan strenuously denies making this comment. We will be referring it to the relevant authorities."
Tasmanian Labor leader Rebecca White told the Mercury she was prepared to give sworn evidence that the comments were from Ms Whelan.
Knowledge of the controversial post emerged in Tasmania's parliament after Tasmanian Labor's deputy leader, Michelle O'Byrne, drew attention to the remarks.
Ms O'Byrne used Question Time to read out Ms Whelan's comments posted under a video post entitled "Feminists In America Begging For Sharia Law", which showed non-Muslim American women praying with Muslim women.
The Facebook account has now been deleted. Source: ABC/Facebook
The video was posted in March in 2017 by right-wing commentator Milo Yiannopoulos during the debate about the US travel ban on people from several Muslim-majority countries.
The Facebook account which posted the remarks, attributed to a profile with Ms Whelan's name, has now been deleted.
Other anti-Muslim Facebook posts have since emerged connected to a now deleted Jessica Whelan account. Source: ABC/Facebook
The ABC has posted screenshots of the other anti-Muslim remarks posted on Facebook under the now-deleted account.
Minneapolis police officer Mohamed Noor was labelled a "filthy Muslim" in a comment posted in response to a July 2017 news report on the shooting death of Australian Justine Damond Ruszczyk.
A page entitled "Reclaim Australia Rally" had the remark saying refugees from the Middle East are not welcome in Tasmania.
"Don't bloody send them to Tasmania. We don't want them," the comment said under a news article about 200 Syrian and Iraqi refugees settling in Armidale, NSW.
