Failed Lib who made homophobic claims new bid for council
On Friday, Owen Mulder announced he would be nominating for the Coastal ward at the October Mandurah council elections.
This will be Mr Mulder's fourth run for political office.
In 2013 he stood for the Australian Christians in the Federal seat of Fremantle and was quoted in a local paper opposing same-sex marriage.
Mr Mulder then joined the Liberal Party and ran for the safe Labor State seat of Cockburn in 2021.
In March, Mr Mulder was the sole pre-selection Liberal candidate for the State seat of Dawesville and despite an 11 per cent swing to the party, lost to incumbent Lisa Munday.
Following his pre-selection for Dawesville last year, it was revealed that Mr Mulder and his wife wrote to a Parliamentary committee urging strong opposition to a Bill considering giving same-sex couples the same superannuation rights as married couples. Owen and Bronya Mulder campaigning at Dawesville Primary during the 2025 State election. Credit: Rachel Fenner
'Marriage is, and must continue to be, the union of one man and one woman to the exclusion of all others, voluntarily entered into for life,' their submission read.
'The above Bill compromises this position by seeking to give same-sex couples almost all the rights and benefits of marriage.'
The Mulders wrote that the Bill 'neglected' that 'marriage has been instituted by God, and must be recognised and honoured in society'.
'Same-sex couple (sic) on the other hand is a direct violation of God's law, which whether we acknowledge it or not, we are all subject to (and will eventually be required to give account to),' they wrote.
Following these revelations, Mr Mulder would not say whether or not he stood by his past comments.
'The Federal Parliament resolved these matters in 2017 following a plebiscite in which people had their say,' he said.
In a twist, Mr Mulder could see himself running against Coastal ward councillor Bob Pond, who is openly gay and has been married to his husband Ray for years.
In a post on social media announcing his plans to run for Coastal ward, Mr Mulder wrote that his desire to serve the community had not changed.
'Meeting with many of you during the campaign highlighted the deep love you have for our community, but also your desire to see key issues addressed,' he added.
Council nominations open on August 28.
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