Notorious COVID shit-stirrer and federal MP Craig Kelly – who, during the pandemic, quit the Liberal party to join Clive Palmer‘s United Australia Party – has been accused of spamming a bunch of people with text messages and anti-vax emails.
If true, it would be a pretty ironic marketing tactic from someone who is obsessed with accusing the government of intruding into people’s private lives by implementing relatively reasonable health measures. Kelly didn’t respond to a request for clarification in time for publication.
A text message, which was reportedly sent en masse to a bunch of different numbers, simply read: “You can never trust the Liberals, Labor or [the] Greens again,” with a link to his own website.
#ClivePalmer money – brings you a personal text message from #CraigKelly.
Anyone else getting these? pic.twitter.com/V9aBjoEvT0— Hugh Riminton (@hughriminton) August 26, 2021
What’s more cursed is the email which was reportedly sent by Kelly’s office to every MP and Senator in Parliament House.
The email contained comments from one Dr Peter A. McCullough, an American cardiologist who has been accused of spreading COVID misinformation. McCullough’s previous employers have distanced themselves from him since the pandemic started.
One of McCullough’s comments included in Kelly’s spammy email said that vaccinated adults could become “Typhoid Mary-style superspreaders of the infection.”
For those curious as to what this kooky reference actually means, Typhoid Mary was woman in the US who asymptomatically spread typhoid to a bunch of people during the early 1900s.
I was just sent this by a staffer contact.
It’s an email sent from Craig Kelly’s MP email address to every MP, Senator and their staffers discussing so-called “alarming findings devastating to the COVID vaccine rollout.” pic.twitter.com/R26RzaeLHP
— Eden Gillespie (@edengillespie) August 27, 2021
A bunch of people have now been complaining online about these unsolicited and unnerving messages from Kelly.
Scary text.
Are they seriously trying to imply Craig Kelly is someone I would trust more?
Lose my number Clive 😉 pic.twitter.com/dtXh5TNyds
— Mike Cannon-Brookes 👨🏼💻🧢🇦🇺 (@mcannonbrookes) August 26, 2021
https://twitter.com/sspencer_63/status/1431097305176829955
if you’re the young person in the hughes EO who taught Craig Kelly how to send a mass (read: spam) email, i just wanna talk.
— courtney gould (@heyycourtt) August 27, 2021
Some people even started reporting the messages to the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA).
https://twitter.com/GallopingSkirt/status/1431023318878937097
For anyone else getting that text from the tin foil hat wearing Craig Kelly. Please forward to @acmadotgov 0429 999 888 or complain at https://t.co/DXqEFGGX8z, this text won’t let you unsubscribe so clearly is not compliant. pic.twitter.com/7P2FzGJD7k
— Michael Decamp (@MichaelDecamp4) August 26, 2021
Unfortunately, the ACMA has responded by saying that its hands are tied.
“Messages from political parties, independent members of parliament (phone calls only), government bodies and registered charities are exempt from most spam and telemarketing rules,” the ACMA said in a tweet on Friday arvo.
Maybe if Kelly loses his tilt at the Senate during the next federal election, he’ll no longer be allowed to spam people with this shit.
