Queensland's Liberal National Party (LNP) has expelled a candidate who sent an email saying he hoped Prime Minister Julia Gillard "follows the history" of assassinated US president John F Kennedy.
LNP state director Michael O'Dwyer today said the party's state executive had expelled businessman Paul Freebody, its candidate for the state seat of Cairns, from the party, as a result of the email.
"The LNP expects all candidates and elected representatives to behave with the utmost propriety and to uphold at all times high standards of behaviour, loyalty and integrity," he said in a statement.
"The LNP views any act of disloyalty and improper conduct by a candidate as a gross breach of the party's standards."
Mr O'Dwyer said the party had reopened nominations for the seat.
The party has high hopes of winning the seat, currently held by retiring Labor minister Desley Boyle with a margin of 4.2 per cent, at the next election, due in March 2012.
The email sent to dozens of people last Friday from Mr Freebody's email account takes aim at the Gillard government over the proposed carbon tax.
"I see Gillard and (Greens' Leader Bob) Brown as the most evil people we have ever had in power in our country," the email states.
"We can only hope that she follows the history of JFK."
Mr Freebody initially claimed the email had been doctored and provided AAP with what he said was an original copy of the email showing the letters KMR, apparently referring to former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, in place of the "JFK" reference.
"Categorically, I never said that. I said she should get the same treatment she gave Kevin Rudd," he told AAP at the time.
However, on Monday he admitted that email had never been sent and accused an unnamed "family member" of replacing "KMR" with "JFK" without his knowledge.
"It has come to light that the family member has admitted to making an adjustment," he told reporters in Cairns.
"It was an attempt to be humorous, nothing more. There was no malice whatsoever meant and the person involved wants to make it known that he intended no offence to the prime minister."
