MP Thanks Himself for Exposing Opponent's "Dirty Tactics

A Self-Congratulatory Comment

Independent federal MP Andrew Gee has found himself in hot water after a social media blunder involving a self-congratulatory comment on his own Facebook page. The comment, impersonating a disgruntled voter, thanked Mr. Gee for "calling out" the "dirty tactics" of his opponent, the National Party.

The comment, which was later deleted, was posted in response to Mr. Gee's original post railing against "blatant lies" he claimed the National Party was using against him in his bid to retain the regional western NSW electorate of Calare. In the original post, Mr. Gee vowed to "call out every single dirty, grubby tactic in this campaign."

However, the self-congratulatory comment, posted as "Andrew Gee MP," quickly drew criticism. A spokesperson for Mr. Gee claimed the comment was posted "without Mr. Gee's knowledge by a new and inexperienced member of the campaign team who had access to the page." The statement added that the staffer "knows it was an extremely disappointing and unacceptable thing to do … which Mr. Gee does not condone, approve of or support under any circumstances."

"Fantastic. Great move. Well done Angus."

Mr. Gee, who defected from the National Party in 2022 over its stance on the Indigenous Voice to Parliament, has a history of calling out behavior targeting him. He has labeled this campaign as the "dirtiest and nastiest yet" after police released vision of two men stealing his political posters outside a business in Orange. He has also been a vocal critic of the Nationals since he left the party.

Despite the Facebook gaffe, Mr. Gee remains in the fight to retain his seat as an Independent. However, the incident serves as a reminder of the potential pitfalls of social media in the political arena.