An embattled Liberal candidate failed to correct a presenter when he was twice referred to as a doctor on Pakistan TV despite not holding a doctorate.
Vivian Lobo, who is also under police investigation for allegedly lying about his electoral enrolment, appeared on 72News in September 2020.
The candidate, whose full name is Vivian Rakesh Lobo, was referred to as a ‘Dr Rakesh’ and ‘Dr Vivian’ in the program and also appeared on a graphic with that honorific promoting the program.
He talked up a Bachelor of Agribusiness course at the Leaders Institute, a registered training organisation in Brisbane he worked for as an administrative and marketing officer.
Mr Lobo is standing for the Liberal party in the ultra-marginal northern Brisbane seat of Lilley, which hold holds with a margin of just 0.6 per cent.
An embattled Liberal candidate appeared on a Pakistan TV show to sell an Australian training course and was touted as a doctor twice even though he doesn’t have that qualification (pictured is 72News promotional material)
At no point during the English-language part of the interview did Mr Lobo attempt to correct the interviewer, Alizar Abbas, who presented The Student Corner program.
‘Honestly speaking, Dr Rakesh, you literally sold me the course the time when you said we have a six-month rate,’ the presenter said.
‘That is amazing, honesty that is so easy for an international student considering the fact the amount of social pressure he faces, the amount of economical pressure he faces.’
At the end of the 41-minute program, Mr Lobo is referred to as a doctor again by the presenter.
‘Thank you so much, Dr Vivian,’ he said.
The Queensland Liberal National Party told Daily Mail Australia that Mr Lobo corrected the record after the TV interview.
‘Mr Lobo has never referred to himself as a doctor – programming errors are a matter for the network and should be directed to 72News,’ a spokeswoman said.
Mr Lobo doesn’t hold a doctorate but his LinkedIn profile states he started a PhD at Torrens University’s Brisbane campus in September 2020.
He was an administrative and marketing officer and a director at the Leaders Institute in Brisbane, but the registered training organisation has removed Mr Lobo from its website.
Vivian Lobo is running in the ultra-marginal inner-northern Brisbane seat of Lilley, held by first-term Labor backbencher Anika Wells on a very small 0.6 per cent buffer
The Liberal candidate, whose full name is Vivian Rakesh Lobo, is referred to as a ‘Dr Rakesh’ and as ‘Dr Vivian’ in the program and also appears on a graphic with that honorific promoting the program
On the 72News program, Mr Lobo didn’t correct the interviewer referring to him as ‘doctor’ on two occasions but told viewers he came to Australia as an international student from India in his mid-20s.
‘This is important: I came here as an international student as well,’ he said.
‘And you think life here is going to be easy. It’s not, it’s difficult, it’s a new country.
‘I was not as courageous as probably most of the students: I came here when I was 25.
‘A lot of great students we have had: those kids are 18, willing to want to come.’
Mr Lobo lists studying a Master of Business in Human Resources at Queensland University of Technology in 2010 and 2011 on his LinkedIn.
Before that, he did a Bachelor of Science in Maths and Computer Science at Bangalore University in India, after attending St Joseph’s Boys’ High School in that city.
The Australian Electoral Commission on May 8 referred Mr Lobo to the Australian Federal Police after The Australian revealed he had listed a vacant block of land at Everton Park, in Brisbane’s north, as his registered address
In a possible sign of vanity, Mr Lobo told his Facebook followers in January 2014 he did daily online checks on himself
The Australian Electoral Commission on May 8 referred Mr Lobo to the Australian Federal Police after The Australian revealed he listed an abandoned house in Everton Park, in Brisbane’s north, as his registered address.
‘The AEC is aware of reports made in the media recently about Mr Lobo’s enrolled address,’ it said.
‘Following Mr Lobo’s candidate nomination for the 2022 federal election we have reviewed the declarations made on Mr Lobo’s enrolment and nomination forms.
‘There is concern as to whether the information provided by him regarding his residential address on these forms is false.
‘The AEC has referred this matter to the AFP for investigation.’
He was photographed leaving another house at Windsor in the Liberal-held seat of Brisbane.
Mr Lobo is running in the neighbouring electorate of Lilley, which Labor’s Anika Wells won in 2019 with a minuscule 0.6 per cent margin.
The future political candidate told his Facebook followers in January 2014 he did daily online checks on himself.
‘I think youse should know I google myself everyday,’ he said.
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