Benjamin Britton, the Liberal candidate for the NSW seat of Whitlam, has come under scrutiny for his controversial views expressed on fringe podcasts before his preselection. These views include the claim that women should not serve in combat positions with the Australian Defence Force (ADF) and his belief that exposure to pornography leads to gender dysphoria and “transgender desires.” He has also made claims about Labor keeping some electorates poor to win votes, and suggested Australia should look to the Isle of Man’s flat tax rate to attract billionaires. Britton’s comments on the education system “brainwashing” young Australians with Marxist ideology and his stance against social media age verification for teens have also raised eyebrows. Despite these views, Britton was preselected to run for the safe Labor seat of Whitlam in December 2024, with the opposition pitching him as a champion for small business and housing ownership.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/apr/04/liberal-candidate-says-women-should-not-serve-in-adf-combat-roles-amid-range-of-controversial-views