The Australian Electoral Commission cannot disqualify Teresa van Lieshout from running for a seat in Federal Parliament, although she is facing criminal charges and abusing the press on social media.
The AEC's handbook for candidates says that the Constitution disqualifies people from being elected to Federal Parliament if they are convicted and sentenced, or subject to be sentenced, for any offence attracting a penalty of a year or more in prison under state or federal law.
A person can still run for office if they are charged with such offences, and there is nothing in the handbook to suggest that abusing others on social media is grounds for disqualification.
It is left to the public to judge a candidate's fitness for office.
Ms van Lieshout, a Mundijong resident, is running as an independent for the federal seat of Canning in Perth's south-east after MHR Don Randall's death in June, with other candidates including the Liberals' Andrew Hastie, Labor's Matt Keogh and the Greens' Vanessa Rauland.
As the September 19 byelection approaches, the Mandurah Mail has reported that despite Ms van Lieshout listing her occupation as teacher on AEC nomination forms, her teacher's registration was cancelled in April.
The Mandurah Mail also reported that Ms van Lieshout was facing criminal charges – two counts of breaching bail, one of stealing and one count of wilful and unlawful damage – and that she had previously been convicted of contravening planning provisions.
On Monday, WAtoday reported that Ms van Lieshout had since taken to Facebook to accuse the Mandurah Mail of being "male dogs", "idiots", "malicious", "nutcases", and "dickheads".
"You trash me, I'll trash you, you evil cowardly lying slanderous violent pro liberal/labor govt fascist Nazi stealing, torturing, murdering dogs [sic]," she wrote.
Ms van Lieshout told WAtoday on Monday afternoon that the WA government had cancelled her teacher registration to "destroy" her political pursuits.
"It's got nothing to do with teaching, nothing to do with children, what the government and I have been fighting about," she said.
"I've got a master of education, I have a teaching business called Expert Educational Services WA, registered with [the Australian Securities and Investments Commission] and I do private teaching because of my political interest.
"My master of education is specialised in leadership and management at Notre Dame University and I have also written and published four books of non-fiction.
"I am a highly educated and intelligent person ... on social media I get abused a lot and I defend myself. Sure I should be more disciplined but it's difficult when it's so violent and personal.
"When they say I'm under a stealing charge, they didn't say what it was about ... I'm not a thief, OK? I do not steal. The government forced their way on to my property and put a clamp on to my car which I cut off ... then it was removed from my property by a tip truck.
"There is big group of men meeting to have me jailed for this ... because I refused to give money to the government."
She said she had won a Supreme Court appeal against the conviction for contravening planning permissions, which related to political signage, and the Mandurah Mail was maliciously trying to damage her reputation.
"If the media attacks me I will attack back, in an intellectual sense," she said.
"I'm not going to be treated like this.
"As far as I am concerned this is Nazi fascism."
Mandurah Mail staff arrived at the office on Monday morning to find 13 abusive voicemails from Ms van Lieshout awaiting them, including the statement "this means war".
They since informed local police.
"The Mandurah Mail supports the right of candidates in elections to speak freely, even if others find what they say distasteful," editor Kate Hedley said.
"Ms van Lieshout's comments are part of the robust political system that Australia is famous for.
"We stand by our reporting as the public has a right to know about candidates who seek to represent them.
"We will continue to report Ms van Lieshout's views when they are relevant to our readers."
Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance WA Media Section president Martin Turner said in a statement on Monday: "Members of the MEAA deplore the treatment of reporters at the Mandurah Mail by Canning candidate Teresa van Lieshout.
"The notion that it is acceptable to strike out in a highly personal, humiliating and denigrating way at members of the media is antithetical to the very democratic principles Ms van Lieshout would presumably wish to uphold were she to be elected as the Federal representative for Canning.
"It is precisely the role of reporters to present factual information on election candidates for the benefit of their readership and in support of the democratic process.
"The candidate in this instance has drawn attention to herself in a way that is damaging to her own prospects but moreover has drawn in others who are undeserving of such treatment.
"She should apologise unreservedly to the Mandurah Mail staff concerned.
WAtoday reported on August 31 that Ms van Lieshout had released a bizarre YouTube clip of herself dancing in her living room to announce her candidacy.
It was not the first time Ms van Lieshout had taken to YouTube to announce her political campaign.
Before the Vasse byelection in 2014, she released a clip of herself in a black bikini fishing on a beach.
The Palmer United Party endorsed her candidacy for the seat of Fremantle in the 2013 federal election but dumped her 12 days later for not toeing the party line.
She went on to represent the Australian Protectionist Party in the election and polled just 0.24 per cent of the vote (205 votes).
Ms van Lieshout has previously run unsuccessfully in several elections including the 2013 state election in the seat of Willagee, where she polled 1.8 per cent of the vote (361 votes) as an independent.
