Libs, Labor to weigh up candidate vetting

Senior Labor and Liberal figures have admitted candidate vetting needs to be reviewed after more resignations cast an embarrassing shadow over the election campaign.

The Liberals' candidate for Scullin Gurpal Singh was dumped on Thursday night for claiming a man who allegedly raped his wife was the "real victim".

Mr Singh was already under pressure for linking same-sex marriage to paedophilia.

Liberal campaign spokesman Simon Birmingham said both sides of politics would have to look at the issue after the election.

"I think there is a clear message and it's one for both major parties to make sure that vetting processes are more thorough in the future," he told Nine's Today on Friday.

"I'm sure if the same scrutiny was applied to the rabble of minor parties out there we would find worse messages."

Clive Palmer sacked United Australia Party candidate Tony Pecora overnight for peddling conspiracy theories about the September 11 terrorist attacks.

Senator Birmingham said Labor had defended its candidate for Melbourne Luke Creasey last Friday before he was dumped over social media posts later that day.

Labor frontbencher Anthony Albanese said the dumping of candidates created "confusion in the electorate".

"Quite clearly there is a problem when you have candidates changing or being removed from endorsement during an election campaign," he said.