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| Labor candidate Melissa Parke pulls out of Curtin contest over Israel comments | Labor candidate Melissa Parke pulls out of Curtin contest over Israel comments |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| The Labor candidate for the West Australian seat of Curtin, Melissa Parke, has pulled out following reports that she told a public meeting last month that the way Israel treated Palestinians was “worse than the South African system of apartheid”. | The Labor candidate for the West Australian seat of Curtin, Melissa Parke, has pulled out following reports that she told a public meeting last month that the way Israel treated Palestinians was “worse than the South African system of apartheid”. |
| Parke, formerly a federal member for Fremantle, said on Friday night that she did not want to be a distraction during the election campaign. The seat of Curtin was previously held by former Liberal party deputy leader Julie Bishop. | Parke, formerly a federal member for Fremantle, said on Friday night that she did not want to be a distraction during the election campaign. The seat of Curtin was previously held by former Liberal party deputy leader Julie Bishop. |
| “I’ve had 20 years’ experience in international relations and law including living and working in the Middle East,” Parke said. “My views are well known. | “I’ve had 20 years’ experience in international relations and law including living and working in the Middle East,” Parke said. “My views are well known. |
| “But I don’t want them to be a running distraction from electing a Labor government which will take urgent and strong action on climate change. That’s why I have decided to withdraw my candidacy. | “But I don’t want them to be a running distraction from electing a Labor government which will take urgent and strong action on climate change. That’s why I have decided to withdraw my candidacy. |
| “I look forward to working and supporting the party in other ways.” | “I look forward to working and supporting the party in other ways.” |
| Parke resigned as federal member for Fremantle in 2016, a seat she had held for nearly a decade, because she wanted to be closer to her family and spend less time on travel. | Parke resigned as federal member for Fremantle in 2016, a seat she had held for nearly a decade, because she wanted to be closer to her family and spend less time on travel. |
| “I believe that renewal is a good tonic for our democracy,” she had said at the time. | “I believe that renewal is a good tonic for our democracy,” she had said at the time. |
| She had been a human rights lawyer before entering parliament in 2007 | She had been a human rights lawyer before entering parliament in 2007 |
| The blue-ribbon seat of Curtin, which the Liberals hold by a margin of 20.7%, is one of the safest Liberal seats in the country, and had been held by Bishop since 1998. It is understood to have been one of the electorates Labor was targeting in WA and Parke’s decision to withdraw has caused a dent in the party’s hopes. | |
| The shadow treasurer, Chris Bowen, told the ABC on Saturday that Parke had “done the right thing in standing aside”. | |
| “Her views didn’t represent the Labor party views,” he said. | |
| Western Australian politics | Western Australian politics |
| Labor party | Labor party |
| Australian politics | Australian politics |
| Julie Bishop | Julie Bishop |
| Israel | Israel |
| Palestinian territories | Palestinian territories |
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