The online abuse, harassment and death threats directed at Polly Filla are abhorrent.

Polly is a highly acclaimed and much-loved performer who has entertained audiences for more than 30 years. More importantly, Polly is a kind and generous person who has brought enormous joy, colour and warmth to our community.

The facts are clear. The event was supervised by teachers, attended by local police and the mayor, and open only to students who chose to participate with parental permission. Yet a loud minority has preferred blatant misinformation and manufactured outrage over truth and basic decency.

Let us call this behaviour what it is. Death threats are not debate. Vilification is not a difference of opinion. People are entitled to hold different views; they are not entitled to threaten, intimidate or degrade others. Such abuse has no legitimate place in public discourse.

Those responsible reveal nothing about Polly’s character—and a great deal about their own.

There is nothing heroic about joining an online pile-on from behind the safety of a screen. It is cowardice in its most pathetic form.

This poisonous rhetoric comes from the imported Trump-style political playbook: target a minority, assign blame and allow cruelty to masquerade as courage. Those who align themselves with this ugliness—or with politicians who cultivate fear and division for their own advantage—should step away from the keyboard and ask themselves whether this is truly the person they wish to be.

Wear It Purple Day exists because too many LGBTIQA+ young people still experience bullying, discrimination and isolation simply for being who they are. Visibility and acceptance tell them they are not alone, that they are valued and that they should never feel ashamed of who they are.

The hateful response to this event demonstrates precisely why the day remains so necessary.

I commend Polly for having the courage to speak out. No one should be subjected to this abuse.

I also commend Castlemaine Secondary College for standing firmly with its students and fostering a culture of safety, dignity and inclusion. Schools should be places where every young person feels safe to learn, grow and become who they are—not battlegrounds for the imported grievances of angry adults.

Live and let live.
Treat people with dignity.
Allow them the freedom to be themselves.

These are not radical ideas; they are simple foundations of a free and decent society.

I stand unequivocally with Polly, Castlemaine Secondary College, Castlemaine Pride and our LGBTIQA+ community. A loud minority does not speak for Castlemaine or Victoria.

It is 2026. It is profoundly disappointing that this conversation remains necessary—that people must still defend their right to live openly, safely and with dignity. We should be better than this.

To every young person distressed by what they have seen online: you are valued, you are supported and you belong. Hate may be loud, but it will not have the final word.