'They're riddled with extremists': Bill Shorten accuses the Liberals of cutting 'dirty deals' with Islamophobes – as far-right troll claims politicians PAID him to incite hate
- Bill Shorten has slammed the Liberal Party as 'riddled with right wing extremists'
- Comments come after two MPs had to deny paying Neil Erikson to be extremist
- Self-confessed Neo-Nazi said he had secret meetings with Liberal MPs
- Andrew Hastie and Ian Goodenough have denied any involvement with Erikson
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has launched an extraordinary attack on the Liberal Party, claiming it is 'riddled with right-wing extremists'.
Speaking to reporters in Adelaide on Wednesday, Mr Shorten lashed out towards the Coalition, and rumoured relationships with known right-wing extremists and preference deals with far-right parties.
'The Liberal Party is making, and the National Party are making preference arrangements with right-wing extremists, like the One Nation Party,' he said.
He referenced Andrew Hastie's recent denial that he and fellow Liberal MP Ian Goodenough had met with self-confessed neo-Nazi Neil Erikson.
Erikson had earlier claimed he had met with Mr Hastie and Mr Goodenough multiple times and that the politicians had allegedly 'paid him to be a right wing activist'.
Liberal MPs Ian Goodenough (left) and Andrew Hastie (right) were forced to deny they had a meeting with self-confessed Neo-Nazi Neil Erikson
In a bizarre interview with blog The Unshackled, Erikson addressed Prime Minister Scott Morrison and claimed his 'underlings' had paid him to 'take over the anti-Islam activist scene on Facebook'.
'You paid me through a third party to fly across the country to generate views, content... you paid me to be a far-right extremist,' he alleged.
Mr Hastie told The Guardian he was 'confident' he did not have a meeting with Mr Erikson.
'In Perth last year, I attended a rally – along with thousands of other West Australians – in support of South African farmers fleeing from the threat of violence,' he said.
'I have never sought to nor agreed to meet with Mr Erikson. I'm confident I did not encounter him on the day. I find his views abhorrent and his views should not be given a platform.'
Erikson claims the pair 'paid him to be a right-wing extremist' and had asked him to fly across the country generating content for social media
But Mr Goodenough said he and Mr Hastie had a 'brief meeting' with the man, and spent 'two or three minutes' talking to him.
Mr Shorten said the denials, combined with the Coalition's preference choices, were all part of an emerging trend with the party.
'It doesn't matter if it's Andrew Hastie contradicting Ian Goodenough or vice versa about what right-wing nutter they meet with, or indeed this Islamophobe, this racist,' he said.
'There's a pattern of behaviour emerging here that the Liberals and Nationals are riddled with right-wing extremists.
'The one thing it means, as people vote today and tomorrow and right through to May 18, is that if you're sick of the instability and chaos, vote Labor at the next election.'
Mr Shorten said the Liberal Party was 'riddled with right wing extremists' and that members did deals with 'right wing nutters like One Nation'
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