A Liberal candidate has become the latest casualty of the Victorian election campaign, dumped by the party over a video calling for a ban on Muslim immigration.
Meralyn Klein remains on the ballot paper for the lower-house seat of Yan Yean but will not be backed by the Liberals who disendorsed her after she appeared in a video alongside Avi Yemini of the fringe micro-party Australian Liberty Alliance.
She thought the video was about violence against women and talks about suffering an alleged brutal attack about a decade ago.
But she ends the video saying, "There are people in this country who are not coming here to get the best out of the country and give the best that they can. I'd like to see us look at immigration," before the clip ends with "#MUSLIMBAN".
Opposition Leader Matthew Guy said on Thursday the party sought Ms Klein's resignation overnight within an hour of finding out, calling the video "grossly inappropriate".
"It was for another political party - one I might add which we are putting last," he told reporters, while also announcing a policy to establish a deportation unit for violent criminals.
The unit would be established within the Department of Justice if the Liberal-Nationals win the November 24 poll, despite it being a federal responsibility.
"We can't just sit by and be spectators, passengers in this process, we've got to actually make sure that it happens," Mr Guy said.
The Victorian Electoral Commission confirmed Ms Klein would remain as a Liberal candidate on the ballot paper and votes will go to her as an independent.
Ms Klein's dumping comes nine days out from the state election and follows the resignation of another Liberal candidate for the upper house, Neelam Rai, at the weekend over allegations of running a questionable charity.
The Greens have also lost an upper-house candidate over social media posts, but is standing by Footscray candidate Angus McAlpine despite his history of once fronting a rap group with lyrics promoting violence against women.
Labor isn't without candidate controversy. It lost two contestants due to "family reasons": Justin Mammarella resigned from the Melton contest and Peter Lockwood from Bayswater.
Labor Premier Daniel Andrews on Thursday would not comment on the disendorsement of Ms Klein or comments she had previously made against his leadership.
"I don't think that person is worthy of a detailed response," he told reporters at Ararat.
He did, however, take a swipe at the powerful United Firefighters Union over its treatment of upper house candidate and former emergency services minister Jane Garrett.
"It's bullying, it's wrong and it should stop," Mr Andrews said.
The union has registered how-to-vote cards, instructing people to put Ms Garrett last in an ongoing battle with her stemming from a pay dispute while she was emergency services minister.
The UFU says it will not "prosecute" the cards during the election campaign but maintains it is "disappointed that some within the union movement continue to support her campaign in a breathtaking display of hypocrisy given her anti-union stance with Victoria's professional firefighters".
THE QUITTERS AND THE CONTROVERSIAL
* Meralyn Klein (Libs, Yan Yean - disendorsed)
* Neelam Rai (Libs, upper house - quit)
* Joanna Nilson (Green, upper house - quit)
* Angus McAlpine (Greens, Footscray - controversy)
* Justin Mammarella (Labor, Melton - quit)
* Peter Lockwood (Labor, Bayswater - quit)
Australian Associated Press
