Teresa Angela van Lieshout (born 1971) is an Australian far-right conspiracy theorist and perennial candidate.
[5] In March 2013, van Lieshout ran as an independent in the Western Australia state election for the district of Willagee.
Van Lieshout initially claimed this was done by party executives without Palmer's knowledge and refused to accept the decision,[7] however he would later label her an opportunist.
[14] After she did not receive an invitation to a candidates' forum discussing climate change, Van Lieshout picketed the event with her mouth taped shut.
During the campaign, she was captured on video berating two Nigerian men in the street, telling them to get out of her country and claiming that foreigners are being brought to Australia to murder Australian-born citizens.
[24][25][26] In 2013, Van Lieshout was convicted for breaching planning laws after putting up political signage outside her home during an election.
[6] On 8 September 2015, a warrant was issued for her arrest after she failed to show up at court on charges of breaching bail, stealing, and wilful unlawful damage in relation to the destruction of a wheel clamp placed on her car.
[29] After this was reported in the Mandurah Mail, van Lieshout lashed out in a tirade on Facebook and left them abusive voicemails.
She was part of a group called "Equity of the People's Nation", which aims to form an alternative police force to arrest politicians and other public servants.
[23] On 11 March, van Lieshout was granted electronically-monitored home detention bail under the condition that she take medication for her mental health and does not use the internet to post videos or speak to her followers.
[34] In September, it was reported that two psychiatrists had declared her competent to stand trial, but incompetent to have committed a crime due to a delusional disorder.
[25] In May 2023, van Lieshout fired her lawyer and was subject to further bail restrictions after continued Twitter usage and taking part in a YouTube interview wherein she justified her actions.
[36][37][38][39] In 2014, after police dropped the investigation into historical rape claims against Australian Labor Party leader Bill Shorten, van Lieshout published a video expressing support for the accuser and claiming that "the male gender is not morally fit to be politicians or police officers".
[40] In 2016, van Lieshout organised a petition to stop the Commonwealth Bank of Australia from closing its branch in the suburb of Brighton-Le-Sands.