One Nation NSW candidate faces criticism over podcast comments on multicultural grants

One Nation's NSW upper house candidate Stuart Bonds is facing fresh criticism after a podcast appearance in which he called for multicultural grants to be scrapped. The comments followed controversy over his speech at an anti-immigration rally in Sydney.

During the podcast on Monday night, the host suggested political leaders were concentrating ethnic communities in particular suburbs to build voting support. Bonds responded by arguing against multicultural grants and claiming communities were being paid to vote for politicians. Those suggestions are political accusations, not evidence that migrants' electoral participation is illegitimate.

NSW Multicultural Minister Steve Kamper condemned the comments on Tuesday, saying they questioned the loyalty of multicultural Australians and their equal right to participate in democracy. Premier Chris Minns had separately described Bonds's earlier rally remarks as racist and outrageous.

The dispute comes ahead of the March state election and centres on comments made in two settings, the Sunday rally and the later podcast. It should not be confused with a finding that any grant program has been used unlawfully. The report establishes political criticism and competing claims, not proof of the allegations made about communities.