Teal MP Monique Ryan’s husband Peter Jordan has said it was “a mistake” to tear down a sign about Liberal candidate Amelia Hamer after video footage was shared online of him removing the material.
The footage showed Jordan walking down an inner Melbourne street with a sign promoting Amelia Hamer under his arm.
The man filming the incident can be heard asking Jordan repeatedly who he is and why he removed the sign.
“I’m not saying who I am,” Jordan responded during the interaction, which lasted a minute.
“I’m taking the sign down because it’s on public land,” he said earlier in the video.
“It’s an illegally put up sign, anyone can take it down because it’s illegal.”
The man filming attempted to take the sign away from Jordan, saying “it belongs to me”.
Jordan responded to the video in a statement today.
“I unreservedly apologise for removing the sign. It was a mistake. I believed the sign was illegally placed but I should have reported my concerns to council,” he said.
Teal MP Monique Ryan also apologised, writing “it should not have happened”.
Frydenberg had been elected as MP for Kooyong in 2010 and served as Treasurer and deputy Liberal leader under Scott Morrison in 2018.
He was considered a strong contender to replace Morrison as Liberal leader before his exit from politics.
The win over Frydenberg was historic for Ryan, as it marked the first time the seat would be held by a politician not from the Liberal Party.
The dispute over the sign could offer some insight into the rising tensions ahead of the upcoming federal election.
