Upper House MP Peter Poulos has been suspended from the Liberal Party for six months after revelations he shared explicit pictures of fellow MP Robyn Preston to another Liberal Party member.
According to The Daily Telegraph, Mr Poulos will not contest the upcoming NSW election.
“The effect of the suspension is that Mr Poulos is disendorsed as a Liberal candidate for the Legislative Council at the coming election,” a NSW Liberal Party spokesman said.
“While Mr Poulos has apologised for his actions to the person concerned and to the community, his conduct fell short of the standard of behaviour expected of members of our Party.”
Last week it was revealed Mr Poulos leaked explicit photos of Ms Preston to a Liberal Party member during a pre-selection battle five years ago. The photos were from the 1980s when Ms Preston modelled for Penthouse magazine.
Mr Poulos apologised for the “regrettable mistake” and resigned from his position as parliamentary secretary for Wollongong and the Illawarra. Ms Preston urged the media to “move on.”
NSW Premier, Dominic Perrottet, said he was “appalled” after learning of the email Mr Poulos had sent.
“When that situation occurred years ago I was appalled, horrified and disgusted,” Mr Perrottet said.
The NSW Liberal Party said it will now fill Mr Poulos’ vacancy on the ticket in line with the requirements of its constitution.
Source: The Daily Telegraph