Labor staffer sacked over offensive posts; Credlin questions PM's vetting process

Rhys Muldoon, a former Play School host and occasional political commentator, was fired from his position as a casual staffer in Tasmanian senator Richard Dowling's office this week after a series of deleted social media posts surfaced containing racist slurs, antisemitic remarks, and sexually explicit attacks on conservative figures. The posts, which had been published years earlier on his X account, included a 2013 message containing a racial slur alongside other offensive language, and multiple posts from 2023 attacking News24 host Peta Credlin with crude sexual imagery and comparing Indigenous affairs senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price to Vidkun Quisling, the Norwegian Nazi collaborator.

Muldoon's hiring in July by Senator Dowling had drawn little attention until Politico reported it on Monday, prompting News Corp to investigate his social media history. The resurfaced posts triggered swift action: Senator Dowling confirmed on Tuesday that he had terminated Muldoon's casual contract, stating the tweets were "abhorrent" and that "everyone in public life has a responsibility to do better when it comes to political discourse."

But the firing did not settle the matter. Peta Credlin, the former chief of staff to Tony Abbott, used her News24 platform to question how Muldoon had been hired in the first place. She noted that the offensive posts had been publicly visible on his social media feed and suggested Labor's vetting process either failed or deliberately overlooked the content. "I don't for a minute believe that this was missed when he was vetted for his job as a Labor staffer," Credlin said. She added that Muldoon was not simply a low-level operative but "a close friend of the prime minister," and suggested the party had been willing to overlook his online conduct because of that proximity.

During Question Time on Tuesday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he had not been aware of the posts and called them "completely unacceptable." He did not directly address Credlin's suggestion that the vetting process had been inadequate. Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, one of the targets of Muldoon's posts, echoed Credlin's line of questioning, noting that Muldoon's attendance at the prime minister's wedding at the Lodge last year—one of roughly 70 guests—demonstrated he was far more than an ordinary staffer. "He is best mates with the prime minister, even attending his wedding," Price said, suggesting his closeness to Albanese made the hiring and the apparent oversight more troubling.

Muldoon's career had spanned entertainment and politics. He hosted ABC's Play School for several years, appeared in dramas including Goolagong and Rake, and was a regular contributor to The Drum, the ABC's political panel show that ran until 2023. He had also co-authored a children's book with Kevin Rudd in 2010 during Rudd's prime ministership, giving him a long association with Labor circles. By the time of his hiring by Senator Dowling, he had largely faded from public view, making his sudden return to political employment—and the subsequent controversy—a sharp reversal.

The incident has raised questions about how political parties vet staff, particularly those with existing relationships to senior figures, and whether social media histories are adequately scrutinized before hiring. Credlin's framing of the issue suggested a pattern: that offensive online conduct by men targeting conservative women, particularly women of color, goes unexamined or is tolerated when the person involved has the right connections. Both Muldoon and Kevin Rudd were contacted for comment but had not responded at the time of reporting.