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Who is Fraser Anning? His now-hidden Facebook may hold clues

Pauline Hanson wanted Malcolm Roberts to remain in the Senate. Photo: AAP

Pauline Hanson wanted Malcolm Roberts to remain in the Senate. Photo: AAP Photo: AAP

The man who could be in line to replace Malcolm Roberts if the One Nation senator is booted from Parliament shared social media posts suggesting Barack Obama was secretly a Muslim and praising Russian President Vladimir Putin.

With observers expecting Senator Roberts’ election to be struck out, the spotlight has swung onto One Nation’s third Queensland Senate candidate, Fraser Anning, who received only 19 individual votes on polling day.

Mr Anning’s Facebook page was deactivated or hidden this week as the media turned its attention to him, but The New Daily can reveal screenshots from his social media past.

They include a conspiratorial post that refers to Mr Obama as a Muslim and another quoting Mr Putin, which suggests that the former US president could learn from the Russian leader’s approach to “minorities” and Sharia law.

Another shared image features a crude joke in which an overweight woman is compared to a truck.

The text of the joke reads: “I was standing in a queue behind a very fat woman with a huge ar-e, when her phone starts to bleep. A little boy behind me says, “f––k me, she’s reversing”.

One Nation was approached for comment. Mr Anning could not be reached.

Senator Roberts was found by the court to have been a dual citizen when he nominated, which is prohibited under Section 44.

As the next candidate on the One Nation ticket, Mr Anning is in line to replace him in the case of a recount.

fraser anning

One Nation’s Fraser Anning could replace Malcolm Roberts. Photo: One Nation

But the situation has been complicated by the fact that ABL Nominees has filed bankruptcy proceedings against Mr Anning and Fiona Ruth Anning in the Federal Circuit Court.

A person is ineligible to serve in Parliament if they are declared bankrupt. The case was mentioned by the Federal Circuit Court in Adelaide on September 19 and will return to court on October 3.

If Mr Anning became ineligible, the party could turn to its fourth-placed candidate Judy Smith, who is leader Pauline Hanson’s sister.

Yet if the court declared Mr Anning had gone insolvent after the election, that would mean a “casual vacancy” would be created.

In theory, that could also be filled by Senator Roberts, who has now renounced his British citizenship.

According to Mr Anning’s candidate biography on the One Nation website, he and his wife have “worked in the hotel industry in Gladstone for the past five years”.

He has also served as a marketing manager for an aviation company.

The biography says: “Fraser has always closely followed politics in this country and believes now is the time for a change stating, ‘we need to get Australia back on track with real people in government instead of the privileged fools we have in power now’.”

The High Court will hear the case of Senator Roberts – as well as those of Barnaby Joyce, Matt Canavan Scott Ludlam and Larissa Waters –between October 10 and 12.

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