The Australian Sex Party has released pictures showing two nuns in Melbourne tearing down the party's campaign posters which read 'tax the church'.
The party's lead candidate for the Senate at the July 2 federal election in Victoria Meredith Doig said the whole act was "pathetic".
"It's a bit of a flashback to the past of some sort of sanctimonious 19th century era women's temporary union," Dr Doig said.
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"Honestly, in this day and age, you got to think about what's going through their minds and how engaged they are with society.
An alleged nun captured tearing off part of the poster in Melbourne's inner city. Source: AAP
Spokesman for the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne Shane Healy said the church did not condone vandalism but he also took a swipe at the Sex Party.
“While interfering with election posters cannot be condoned no-one should be at all surprised that sisters of the Missionaries of Charity established by Mother Teresa of Calcutta to feed and support the poorest of the poor, would be taking offence at the policies of the Sex Party," he told SBS.
Dr Doig argued the intent of the posters was to call for religious institutions that operate businesses and claim a tax free status to be on an equal footing as the private sector.
"From their point of view, it's a direct attack on the message of taxing the church but really they need to stand back and think about the privilege of the churches which they've been enjoying for years and years," she said.
"Religious organisations in this country have about $30 billion worth of revenue each year and all of that is untaxed ... and I hasten to say I'm not anti-religious, but pro-secular."
The party was not able to confirm at 4pm on Friday, whether it had tried to contact the nuns, which it claims are from the Mother Teresa order, but said it received the photos from a blog named browncardigan.
The party claim the nuns also got rid of banners calling for legalised medical marijuana.
Its leader Fiona Patten said the attack was cowardly and unprovoked and said if nuns would like to visit and confess, "that will be an end to it".
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