Lyle Shelton responds after Family First candidate disendorsed over social media posts

EXCLUSIVE: The Family First leader has spoken to 6 News after Longman candidate Malachi Brogden Hearne was dumped.

Family First Party leader Lyle Shelton has spoken publicly for the first time after one of his party's candidates was disendorsed over a series of social media posts.

Yesterday, it was announced that 19-year-old Malachi Brogden Hearne, the Family First candidate for the LNP-held seat of Longman, had been disendorsed by the party. As the disendorsement was after the close of nominations, he will still appear on the ballot as a Family First candidate.

Hearne said comments leading to his disendorsement included:

• "Two women cannot and should not raise children...lesbianism is disgusting" under a story about Matildas player Tameka Yallop and wife Kirsty announcing they are expecting second child.

• A post saying Australia was "built solely by white Christian men".

• "At least they're white" in response to South Australia Police hiring UK-based officers.

• A post saying "White people need to start breeding like rabbits".

A Family First spokesperson declined to comment when approached by 6 News yesterday, but the party's national director Lyle Shelton responded to questions during a live debate for New South Wales Senate candidates on 6 News.

Shelton said: "It's pretty simple - we're a family party, we believe in morality and moral values, pro-family values. This particular individual had some social media commentary that he didn't disclose to us, so he hadn't been honest on his preselection form."

"If you're talking about salmonella and penises, I'm not interested in candidates who want to put that stuff on public social media platforms," Shelton said.

Shelton said there were "other social media posts saying that women who have abortions are "degenerate"...I don't agree with that".

"I think women who find themselves with unsupported pregancies need all the support society can give them".

"This sort of commentary by someone who, quite frankly, should have known better, is not acceptable to our party. We've got 100 candidates, one guy has slipped through the net, we're not going to put up with it. Yes it's regrettable that this wasn't discovered until after the close of nominations, but we won't tolerate that sort of thing."

"It's not about cancel culture, but it is about ensuring we uphold the values of our party and I think that would be pretty self-evident, and it's what our supporters would expect."

"Family First, a party that claims to be Christian, takes umbrage to pro-Australia, pro-Christian rhetoric", Hearne told 6 News in a statement yesterday. Posting on Twitter during the 6 News debate, he accused Shelton of lying.

The debate for New South Wales Senate candidates - which also included Miles Hunt (Legalise Cannabis), Craig Kelly (Libertarian) and Warwick Stacey (One Nation) - discussed a range of issues, including cost-of-living, housing, minor party unity, and Donald Trump.