Craig Kelly
Craig Kelly (born 29 September 1963) is an Australian politician who represented the Division of Hughes as a Liberal Party and later United Australia Party MP from 2010 until his defeat at the 2022 Australian federal election.
Craig Kelly | |
|---|---|
| Leader of the United Australia Party | |
| Assumed office 23 August 2021 | |
| Chairman | Clive Palmer |
| Preceded by | Clive Palmer |
| Member of the Australian Parliament for Hughes | |
| In office 21 August 2010 – 21 May 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Danna Vale |
| Succeeded by | Jenny Ware |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 29 September 1963 Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
| Political party | United Australia (since 2021) |
| Other political affiliations |
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| Spouse | Vicki Kelly |
| Children | 2 |
| Occupation |
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| Website | craigkelly |
Kelly initially entered politics as a member of the Liberal Party, and was elected to the Australian House of Representatives at the 2010 federal election, as a member of parliament (MP) for the division of Hughes. He resigned from the Liberal Party in February 2021 to sit on the crossbench as an independent politician, before announcing that he was joining the United Australia Party in August of that year, and was appointed as the party's leader.
Kelly has been widely criticised for spreading misinformation on social media. He has given a platform to numerous conspiracy theories, and has propagated climate change denial and falsehoods regarding COVID-19. By January 2020, Kelly's Facebook page had higher levels of engagement than either the Prime Minister or the Opposition Leader, leading The Sydney Morning Herald to call Kelly "one of Australia's most influential politicians on Facebook". Kelly is also a frequent guest on Sky News Australia.