Australian MP who promoted pandemic conspiracies quits ruling party
24 February, 2021
An Australian lawmaker who frequently peddled pandemic misinformation quit the conservative government Tuesday, weeks after appearing publicly dressed straight down by Prime Minister Scott Morrison.
Craig Kelly repeatedly used social media and the ground of parliament to dilemma the safety of coronavirus vaccines, oppose lockdowns, and promote unproven COVID-19 treatment options such as Malaria medicine hydroxychloroquine and headlice medication ivermectin.
"I felt that for the rest of the parliamentary term, if I'm going to action and speak according to my conscience and my beliefs, that I can do so better as an unbiased," the Sydney MP told consumer broadcaster ABC.
The Sydney MP informed colleagues of his decision at a celebration meeting in Canberra, and Morrison confirmed Kelly's departure, saying he "no longer felt that he could meet" the commitment to avoid spreading misinformation.
Kelly's Facebook bank account -- which also frequently has down climate transformation -- had around six million video recording views and five million interactions found in 2020, according to info tool CrowdTangle.
His latest expression of "concerns" about COVID-19 procedures comes as Australia enters the next time of mass vaccination.
Public opinion polls show around three-in-four Australians intend to get vaccinated, but misinformation is widespread on prominent media platforms.
Source: japantoday.com
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