Craig Kelly | |
|---|---|
 Kelly in 2016 | |
| Leader of the United Australia Party | |
| In office 23 August 2021 – 27 February 2024 | |
| Chairman | Clive Palmer |
| Preceded by | Clive Palmer |
| Succeeded by | Ralph Babet |
| Member of the Australian Parliament for Hughes | |
| In office 21 August 2010 – 21 May 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Danna Vale |
| Succeeded by | Jenny Ware |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 29 September 1963[1] Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
| Political party | Independent (2021; since 2024) |
| Other political affiliations |
|
| Spouse | Vicki Kelly |
| Children | 2 |
| Occupation |
|
| Website | craigkelly |
| This article is part of a series on |
| Conservatism in Australia |
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Craig Kelly (born 29 September 1963) is an Australian conservative politician who represented the division of Hughes as a Liberal Party (and later United Australia Party) MP from 2010 until his defeat at the 2022 federal election.
Kelly initially entered politics as a member of the Liberal Party, and was elected to the Australian House of Representatives at the 2010 federal election, as a member of parliament (MP) for the division of Hughes. He resigned from the Liberal Party in February 2021 to sit on the crossbench as an independent politician, before announcing that he was joining the United Australia Party in August of that year, and was appointed as the party's leader.[2][3][4]
Kelly has been widely criticised for spreading misinformation on social media. He has given a platform to numerous conspiracy theories,[5][6] and has propagated climate change denial and falsehoods regarding COVID-19.[7][8][9] By January 2020, Kelly's Facebook page had higher levels of engagement than either the Prime Minister or the Opposition Leader, leading The Sydney Morning Herald to call Kelly "one of Australia's most influential politicians on Facebook".[10] Kelly is also a frequent guest on Sky News Australia.[11]
On 27 February 2024, Kelly left the UAP to join Pauline Hanson's One Nation as the party's federal campaign director.[12] He left the party in September of the same year.[13]
- ^ Kelly, Craig (5 December 2017). "Statement in relation to citizenship - 45th Parliament" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 7 January 2018. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
- ^ Harris, Rob (23 February 2021). "Craig Kelly resigns from the Liberal party to move to the cross bench". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 23 February 2021. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
- ^ Gould, Courtney; Maiden, Samantha (23 August 2021). "Craig Kelly joins Clive Palmer's United Australia Party ahead of federal election". news.com.au. News Corp Australia. Archived from the original on 23 August 2021. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
- ^ Shields, Bevan (3 December 2018). "Craig Kelly's expletive-laden rant exposes depth of Liberal Party tensions". Archived from the original on 2 February 2021. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
- ^ Pearson, Nick (2 February 2021). "Top doctors' body hits out at Liberal MP over Pete Evans' podcast". 9news.com.au. Archived from the original on 2 December 2021. Retrieved 4 September 2021.
- ^ Henderson, Anna (2 February 2021). "Morrison chides Kelly over coronavirus claims, but MP vows to keep pushing controversial line". www.abc.net.au. Archived from the original on 3 September 2021. Retrieved 4 September 2021.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
NYTimesJan2020was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ McCauley, Dana (27 August 2020). "Craig Kelly accused of pushing 'dangerous' COVID-19 conspiracy theory". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 16 August 2021. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
amawas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
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SBS-7Jan2020was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
joinPHONwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Puglisi, Leonardo (1 September 2024). "Craig Kelly quits Pauline Hanson's One Nation". 6 News Australia. Retrieved 1 September 2024.