Victorian One Nation candidate Matthew Collins who ‘never once asked a woman for consent’ quits as offensive posts are exposed
Matthew Collins has resigned as One Nation’s candidate for the Melbourne electorate ahead of Victoria’s state election, after offensive posts about sexual consent resurfaced. He apologised, saying the comments were unacceptable and did not reflect who he is now.
Posts reportedly made on a since-deleted X account included calling requests for consent “cringe” and saying he had never asked a woman for consent. One Nation Victoria said it did not condone the remarks and accepted his resignation. Opposition Leader Jess Wilson called the comments “absolutely disgusting”; One Nation has been polling third behind the Coalition and Labor.
In short
- Matthew Collins quit as One Nation’s Melbourne candidate.
- He apologised for past posts about sexual consent.
- One Nation said it did not condone the comments.
Explained simply
One Nation is a political party in Australia, and Victoria is one of the country’s states. Melbourne is an electorate, an area whose voters choose a representative in the state parliament during a state election.
Sexual consent means freely agreeing to sexual activity; it can be discussed and checked with a partner. Public comments about consent can become an issue in politics because voters may consider whether a candidate’s statements reflect their judgement and values.
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