An Australian politician has stepped down from his position just one day after his daughter appeared in a reality television series focusing on OnlyFans content creators.
Sudden Political Exit
Dugald Saunders, leader of the NSW Nationals and member for Dubbo, announced his resignation to fellow MPs on Monday before informing the media. The politician stated he was leaving to concentrate more on his family and personal life.
"It's a difficult decision, but it is the right time for me to take a step back and focus more on my family and myself," Saunders declared in an official media release.
Daughter's Documentary Appearance
The resignation came shortly after Saunders' 19-year-old daughter, Charlie Saunders, appeared in the six-part online reality series titled Spicy Summer. The young woman, who uses the online names Willow Rae or Willow Ray, was among four women featured in the documentary's debut episode that aired on Sunday.
The series was filmed in Sydney's eastern suburbs during September and October, examining the growing phenomenon of OnlyFans - the subscription-based platform known for hosting adult content creators.
In the documentary, Ms Saunders appeared under the name Willow and identified herself as coming from regional NSW. When questioned about her career choice, the 19-year-old asserted: "I can do what I want, and I'm a legal consenting adult."
Background and Motivations
Charlie revealed she turned to the adult industry after experiencing severe bullying during her high school years. "I was bullied a lot in school about my appearance," she shared. "There'd be girls that were like a size six, and they'd say I'm fat, and I was a size 14."
The young woman described how the constant criticism affected her mental health: "When someone else says it, it just hurts a lot, it put me in a state of depression and I'd go to school and just feel like I wasn't worthy."
She explained that discovering OnlyFans helped her overcome body image issues: "When I saw the girls on OnlyFans, I realized that you don't have to be a certain size or shape to be popular and men will like you."
Ms Saunders added that social media has largely normalized the adult entertainment industry in contemporary society. Her OnlyFans profile, which has since been deleted, described her as "the girl next door if next door's a farm."
Political Fallout and Future
Despite the timing, a spokesperson for Mr Saunders insisted to The Australian that the resignation had "nothing to do with the MP's daughter appearing in the documentary" and called the coincidence "unfortunate."
According to reports, there were no plans to challenge Saunders' leadership position during the upcoming parliamentary sitting week, which could potentially be the final session of the year.
Opposition leader Mark Speakman praised Saunders' contributions, saying he "valued very much" the politician's "steady, collegiate and constructive counsel." Speakman added that "Dugald Saunders has been a tireless advocate for the Dubbo electorate and regional NSW."
Nationals MPs are scheduled to meet at 8:30 AM on Tuesday to vote for a new party leader, marking the beginning of a new chapter for the political organization following this unexpected development.
