RENEE Heath’s Liberal Party colleagues have privately questioned her judgement after she attended a Melbourne event held by Freedom Party of Victoria founder and podcaster Morgan C Jonas at the weekend. [This story was originally published Friday August 11 – the event took place on Friday August 4.]
But the MP for Eastern Victoria Region said she was there to watch a speech by her father, Pastor Brian Heath, who was a guest speaker at the live show.
“I hope I am never afraid to hear alternate opinions and views, even those I don’t agree with,” Dr Heath told the Herald Sun.
“It opens our minds, challenges our ideas and strengthens our resolve.”
Several of Dr Heath’s colleagues told Seven News that her attendance was not appropriate due to the Freedom Party’s right-wing views, which came into prominence when they campaigned against COVID lockdowns and vaccine mandates. They also said that attending the event breached the Liberal Party’s constitution for being “guilty of disloyalty of the party”, but Dr Heath disputed this.
“That event last night did not represent mainstream Liberal values at all,” a Liberal source told the Herald Sun.
Former United Australia Party (UAP) MP Craig Kelly and current UAP senator Ralph Babet were also in attendance – the latter slamming Victorian Liberal leader John Pesutto’s leadership. Mr Pesutto has not responded to the controversy.
Mr Heath is a senior pastor at Sale’s City Builder’s Church, and is also understood to be on the Liberal Party’s Latrobe Valley State Election Council.
Introduced as a self-proclaimed “freedom fighter”, he said to those in attendance that “people are growing and developing great concern for where our the nation is going”, and suggested influencing others politically.
“You know, this is how we get to strategically go into regions and shift, you know, the sphere of influence.”
Mr Heath spoke for about 15 minutes at the four-hour event and was streamed on social media.
Pastor Brian Heath speaks at the event in Rowville. Photo: Facebook
