Fake it to break it: The Zahid Safi Liberal Candidate Debacle

In my previous post, I wrote: “The rotten stench is rising from the corpse of the Australian Liberal Party’s pitch for the division of Bruce in the upcoming federal election.” There was a reason for that choice of words.

The Liberal candidate, Zahid Safi, has now been revealed as a university dropout. It reminds me of George Santos, who successfully made his debut to the US congress for a brief period, but was recently sentenced to seven years in a New York federal court for a slew of deceptions.

So how did someone like this slip into the ranks of the Liberal Party? The answer is clear: fake it to make it but now, it ironically translates as fake it to break it. Touted as a wildly successful businessman, Safi’s record tells a very different story: businesses that were de-registered because of being unable to pay the fees, listed under a fake address, peppered with phony reviews, and littered with stock images.

The most successful part in his life, I would say, is his ability to successfully beguile the liberal party leadership.

But here’s the most damning development: as Australia approaches the election on May 3rd, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has already distanced himself from Zahid Safi. It shows that he is clearly wary of further damage to the party’s credibility, and he should be. As Ronald Mizen reports in The Australian Financial Review:

 "When Coalition sources outlined the seats that Dutton would visit in the final week of the campaign in his 28-seat blitz, Bruce was absent. This could be because it was impractical to list all 28, or it could be because standing up next to Safi and peppered with questions about his past is not the kind of television the Liberals want in the final week of the campaign."

In a Facebook Reel video, journalists from The Age confront Zahid Safi with questions, but he flees the scene. He is caught shortly after, as he gets into a car sitting on the driver's side and attempts to close the door to prevent journalists from asking him questions. When pressed, he struggles to answer even the most basic questions. His response to nearly every question, regardless of the topic, is simply: “the cost of living.” When asked about the fake reviews and false address tied to his and his wife’s business, his answer is still: “the cost of living.”

The revelation that Senator Jana Stewart has submitted a letter to the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) regulatory agency, calling for a formal investigation, is a strong and necessary step toward accountability.