Founder of “Love Australia or Leave” Party Claims Discrimination

Kim Vuga claimed her denied entry to a Hervey Bay pub was due to "discrimination", with the hearing exected to occur later in the year.

Kim Vuga was barred entry from a pub in Queensland in early 2016
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Image via Brisbane Times

Kim Vuga was barred entry from a pub in Queensland in early 2016

In what may be a serious case of satire merging with real-life, the founder of Anti-Islam, anti-foreign aid and anti-multiculturalism political “Love Australia or Leave” party has claimed discrimination after a Queensland pub barred her from entry. Kim Vuga first came into the spotlight after she clearly learnt absolutely nothing that was intended when she was on the SBS program Go Back to Where to You Came From. In April 2016, she made headlines after herself and party members were refused entry at the Beach House Hotel in Harvey Bay, Queensland.

The incident has now made its way to the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal. Ms Vuga has claimed that she and her associates were discriminated against on the basis of their pollical views and party activity. Vuga has stated she wants a public apology, advertised in paper, for a period of four weeks as well as some sort of compensation for the bad publicity that the event may have caused her party. Others may argue that the party’s policies of halting Islamic immigration, massively reducing foreign aid and banning the burqa have caused the party negative publicity. However, it appears to be in Ms Vuga’s belief that it is this event, not their policies, which will cause significant public damage.

In what is once again, not satire, Vuga has requested certain members of the pub and their licensees receive “anti-discrimination training”. The training would stop the pub and its members from discriminating against people based on their beliefs, which now appears to be something Ms Vuga and the party is against. In response to the incident, the venues manager Paul Robins claimed that he denied the entry due to holding concerns for the safety of his staff and patrons inside the pub. In recently released documents, Vuga has instead claimed that Robins, in a phone conversation, “stated I don’t want anything to do with your association, meaning that of my political party”.

The Beach House Hotel is a popular venue in Hervey Bay, Queensland

Regardless of the absurdity, it certainly raises some interesting questions. Is Robins allowed to refuse entry to someone based on their beliefs? Has Vuga ever read The Onion? Is there any wonder that Go Back to Where You Came From has stopped airing when its intention to change Vuga’s opinions has massively backfired?

A hearing on the incident is expected to be held in Brisbane later this year.

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