Gladigau, Mrs K.

Mr PEDERICK (Hammond) (15:12): I rise today to bring to the attention of the house the appalling behaviour of a failed SA-Best candidate, someone who is again running for public office in Mid Murray Council and now also federal politics in the seat of Barker. Kelly Gladigau has on countless occasions shown her inability to adhere to the facts, but mislead the people, which is a polar opposite to the claim she made of being an honest and accountable candidate.

Notwithstanding the countless times this person released misleading information throughout the state campaign, she has now made an attack against the hardworking and dedicated Mid Murray Council deputy mayor, Councillor Kuhn. In Mrs Gladigau's latest slander, she publicly accused Councillor Kuhn of misconduct via a post on social media. If Mrs Gladigau had taken a moment to investigate this further, she would have come to learn that the detail and argument she posted publicly were completely flawed and incorrect.

Taking her false and misleading statement even further, Mrs Gladigau also posted photos of Councillor Kuhn's children with this post, alleging a ratepayer-funded family holiday. As a result of Mrs Gladigau's post, Councillor Kuhn received unwarranted scrutiny from Mrs Gladigau's followers, which has led to ongoing suffering and caused unnecessary pain to the Kuhn family. I quote:

To be accused of corruption, however big or small, is disgraceful and goes against every part of my belief system. To be plagued by a reputation as untrustworthy for even one day makes me utterly sick to my stomach. The allegation that in my role as Deputy Mayor of Mid Murray Council I had a 'holiday' with my family paid for by the ratepayers of our community is completely false. This did not occur. Entwined in this allegation on Facebook are personal images of my family, including minors, without permission. That is not only wrong. It's next level wrong.

Given the extent of the false claims made by Mrs Gladigau in this post, she is now being sued and asked to make a public apology. To date, Mrs Gladigau has not complied with the requests of the claimant's lawyer. I note interestingly that not only did the failed Hartley candidate Nick Xenophon endorse Mrs Gladigau at the state election, and now federal election, but he is also representing her in this legal case.

Mrs Gladigau believes she did not infer that Councillor Kuhn has engaged in misconduct, though her own comment on the post says, 'Looks like a family holiday to me on us the ratepayers.' It is absolutely shameful that someone can publicly make a false and misleading statement which has caused, and continues to cause, much pain and suffering to Councillor Kuhn, yet when challenged and held accountable, she does not want to take responsibility.

In a post made by the then SA-Best candidate, she stated, 'People should be held accountable and will not get away with abusing their position of power or bullying. There is a zero tolerance for this type of behaviour.' What we are witnessing here is bullying and this person is not being accountable for her actions. It is almost like deja vu when we speak of Mrs Gladigau not taking responsibility for the statements she makes. Time and time again, this person has shown her lack of ability to act rationally and fairly. Let's just reflect on 2013, when she made racist remarks against Adam Goodes on her supposedly shared Facebook page, stating, 'Seriously, don't you think it's rather soft to be upset that a young girl called you an ape, perhaps if you didn't look like one.'

As previously highlighted, Mrs Gladigau wants accountability in the public sector and is running for both local and federal government. I think it is important to bring to the attention of the Mid Murray ratepayers that if Mrs Gladigau were successful in her tilt for election to council and Barker, there would be a casual vacancy in the council and she would need to resign. Mrs Gladigau spends a lot of time scrutinising financial accountability of the council, yet she is willing to forfeit some $40,000 in Mid Murray Council ratepayer funds for a council by-election she knowingly created. Kelly Gladigau seeks to succeed based on defamation and slander due to a lack of ability and she should never hold public office.