Barnaby Joyce says One Nation is 'one of the gayest parties in Australia' after candidate's controversial comment

By ANDREW BROWN FOR AUSTRALIAN ASSOCIATED PRESS and KYLIE STEVENS, SENIOR BREAKING NEWS REPORTER, AUSTRALIA Published: 23:12, 12 August 2026 | Updated: 23:14, 12 August 2026 Barnaby Joyce has distanced One Nation from a candidate who said LGBTQI people have a mental illness, claiming the organisation was one of the 'gayest parties in Australia'.  The party's candidate for Western Australia's upper house at the 2025 election, Parminder Singh, was revealed to have made several anti-gay comments in a video on social media. After the video became public, Singh, who was third on One Nation's upper house ticket, was removed from the party's website.  Joyce said the candidate's comments did not represent the party. 'People are allowed to have views, of course, but they've got to be within the Australian guardrails,' he told ABC TV on Wednesday. 'We're one of the gayest parties in Australia. 'He obviously doesn't know One Nation because we got a surprise for him. We have quite a large proportion of gay people, and they're all the same.  'They don't want to be glorified. They don't want to be vilified.' Barnaby Joyce (pictured with One Nation leader Pauline Hanson) described his party as 'one of the gayest in Australia' 'We have quite a large proportion of gay people, and they're all the same,' Joyce added. Pictured are Mardi Gras revellers Former One Nation WA candidate Parminder Singh claimed gay people have a 'mental illness' Joyce said the comments were highly offensive. He added that Singh must not have spent time around farms, referencing the number of gay animals.  Joyce admitted the party continues to have challenges with its vetting processes as it grows.  'When something's growing like that, you're going to have growing pains, and you're going to have your internal resources (that) won't be able to keep up with the membership as it goes and the applicants as they go,' Joyce said. Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie was reluctant to weigh in on the comments made by her former party colleague Joyce.  'I'm not going to comment on One Nation members or candidates, only to say Australia's gay community is not mentally ill as this One Nation candidate purports,' she said.  'As anyone in my home state of Victoria knows, many are joining the National Party and the Liberal Party because they're sick of a very bad Labor government.  'But I think for many in the gay community, they are joining the National Party because they, like we, are very concerned about Islamic extremism and the impact it has on their daily lives.'