David Archibald: Calls for One Nation candidate's removal after he labelled single mums 'lazy and ugly'

Labor frontbencher Anthony Albanese has called for One Nation leader Pauline Hanson to sack West Australian candidate David Archibald. The One Nation candidate referred to single parents as “lazy and ugly” in a 2015 Quadrant article.

In the article, Archibald wrote single mothers were "too lazy to attract and hold a mate, undoing the work of possibly 3 million years of evolutionary pressure. This will result in a rapid rise in the portion of the population that is lazy and ugly.” Referring to single motherhood as a “lifestyle choice,” he added that support payments for single mothers should be repealed.

The article did not sit well with Albanese, who was raised by a single mother. "I had an enormous amount of love and I have nothing but respect for my late mum, and I regard his comments as incredibly personally offensive but more importantly offensive towards all those single parents out there," he told the ABC.

“The idea that if you have a single mother then somehow you're less of a human being really belongs way back in the dark ages and I find it incredibly offensive," he said. Albanese is campaigning in Perth.

However, Archibald has the backing of his party. WA One Nation leader Colin Tincknell said in his comments to The Australian that Archibald was being a "a bit naughty.” Characterising Archibald’s comments as “tongue in cheek,” Tincknell said, "It's not the end of David.”

Archibald also targeted disability pension, along with childcare funding and spending on Indigenous affairs, in the article. “Second, the 800,000 Australians on the disability pension. OK, not all of them. But a good proportion are able to drive cars, bash police and each other, go fishing and so on,” he wrote. In another article, Archibald had described the Stolen Generations as a “concocted” myth.

Earlier this week, Hanson said she will not let the ambitions of One Nation be jeopardised. "No one, no one is going to take it over and destroy what I want to achieve, what I want to do," she said. "I can assure you, [with] 20 years' experience, knowledge, wisdom, understanding... I've taken over the leadership of this party."

Hanson sacked a few candidates recently following their controversial views. Meanwhile, Archibald said he stood by his comments.