One Nation Candidate Resigns After Offensive Consent Comments Emerge

A candidate for the upcoming Victorian state election, Matthew Collins, has resigned after offensive social media posts resurfaced, including statements that suggested he did not believe in obtaining consent from women.

Collins, who was running for the inner-city electorate of Melbourne under the One Nation party, apologized for the comments upon withdrawing his candidacy. The 35-year-old stated that the past posts, made on a now-deleted X account, no longer represented his current views.

According to reports, the comments made in 2020 characterized asking for sexual consent from a woman as 'cringe.' One post attributed to Collins reportedly stated, 'I have never once asked any woman for any form of consent, ever.' It continued, 'It's all implied by a woman's actions and attraction levels which any astute man will be paying attention to.'

A spokesperson for One Nation Victoria confirmed the party was aware of the offensive comments and accepted Collins' resignation. "Mr. Collins acknowledges his comments were offensive and unacceptable, and One Nation Victoria has accepted his resignation from the candidacy," the spokesperson said, adding that the party does not condone such remarks.

Opposition Leader Jess Wilson condemned the former candidate's online views, calling them "absolutely disgusting comments."

Collins' profile on the One Nation website listed him as newly married and a small business owner, having previously worked in sales. His stated political priorities included improving community safety, alleviating cost-of-living pressures on families and small businesses, and increasing government accountability.

One Nation has been polling as the third-largest party in Victoria, behind the coalition and Labor, and was in a position to potentially win several seats in the state election.