Australia’s ruling conservatives reckon with conspiracist MP
Australia's conservative prime minister was forced to bring a vocal party lawmaker to task on Wednesday for spreading pandemic disinformation, after a string of comments that threatened to undermine public safety.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison summoned Sydney Member of Parliament Craig Kelly after months of false claims that questioned the safety of coronavirus vaccines, opposed lockdowns and promoted unproven treatments.
In a statement after the face-to-face, Kelly said he "agreed to support the government's vaccine rollout, which has been endorsed by medical experts".
"I believe that the spread of misinformation can damage the success of our public health response during the pandemic," he said in a statement.
Mostly Covid-free Australia has yet to begin its vaccine rollout.
Public opinion polls show around three-in-four Australians intend to get vaccinated, but misinformation is widespread on prominent media platforms.
Kelly has routinely backed the use of Malaria drug hydroxychloroquine and headlice medication ivermectin as Covid-19 treatments and endorsed other unsubstantiated theories spreading widely in the United States.
Despite his claims being publicly rejected by Australia's chief medical officer, Kelly's Facebook following has doubled over the past year, amid regular virus screeds.
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