We turned against unelected leaders but we're still being overrun by bossy boots
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Sky News AU
an hour ago
- Sky News AU
Greens co-founder Drew Hutton's gender ideology awakening does not excuse his ignorant anti-gas, anti-fracking campaign that has made us all poorer
All credit to Drew Hutton, a transgender ideology refusenik expelled from the Greens Party for defending the truth. Hutton says the Greens Party he was instrumental in creating has been hijacked by 'a transgender and queer cult that has come to control key decision-making positions'. Yet spare us the misplaced nostalgia for a sane and sensible Green Party that has supposedly been stolen. The modus operandi of cults has defined the Greens from the beginning. The demand for adherence to a sacred doctrine, the creation of a moral hierarchy, the demand for ritual affirmation, and the shaming of heretics have always been the Greens' standard operating procedure. Greens members have always been distinguished by their sanctimony and an absolute mindset. So what's changed? Some of us find it hard to draw a moral distinction between the imposition of genderist ideology based on lies and mistruths and many other examples of deceptive conduct the Greens have engaged in over the years. We may agree with Hutton that transgender ideology is built on the monstrous lie that a transgender biological male is an actual woman. We may decide that the consequences for women and girls are intolerable. Yet we should not overlook the considerable damage caused by false panic about catastrophic global warming, bleached coral, the demonisation of coal, the fabrication of Aboriginal history, the scapegoating of Australian farmers and countless other examples of evil clown-like behaviour over the last half a century. The cumulative harm is incalculable. Humans have been denied the benefits of advanced technology, such as nuclear power, and have been punished with inflated energy prices, while bearing the brunt of reduced prosperity and opportunities. Billions of dollars of scarce capital that could have been invested productively have been misallocated to unproven technologies, such as green hydrogen and wind turbines. Rural communities have watched their landscapes transformed by land-hungry renewable energy generators and high voltage power lines. The green movement has turned a blind eye to the loss of native fauna and swathes of natural vegetation, just as ideologues dismissed the damage they caused as the unavoidable consequences of the class struggle. So, with great respect to Hutton, what exactly has changed? The presumption of superior wisdom, a priori reasoning, moral panic and an intolerance of dissent has been the modus operandi of social justice crusades from eugenics to Black Lives Matter and Palestine. The assertion that the scientific evidence is settled isn't new, nor is the outrage towards any proposal to conduct independent studies. Those who advocate for an alternative approach are branded as saboteurs. Racists, climate change deniers, homophobes and transphobes are simply different words for anyone who has the temerity to disagree. Like medieval witch hunts, the forcefulness of public condemnation serves to silence others. Hence, the ideologues insulate themselves from the feedback of reality, protected in a concrete casing of groupthink. Thus, they remain mentally and physically isolated from the consequences of their action, unaware that their solution to an imagined crisis frequently creates a real one. The chronic shortage of gas on Australia's East Coast, which is driving up fuel prices, weakening reliability, and jeopardising business, is the direct result of a crusade against a fake problem in which Hutton was intimately involved. In the early 2010s, Hutton harnessed the legitimate concerns of Queensland farmers in the Surat Basin to campaign against the development of coal-seam gas. The Lock the Gate movement, which he helped to establish, contrived to create moral panic against fracking, spreading fear that it would contaminate the water supply, cause the uncontrolled escape of flammable gas and cause seismic underground reactions.1 Never mind that the practice of hydraulic fracturing is a well-established, safe technology that has been in use for more than 50 years. An extensive CSIRO report in 2020 found the risks from fracking could be managed with proper regulation and good site management. Never mind that the Surat Basin coal seams have high natural permeability and gas content, which means that there was very little in need of fracking if at all. Yet Lock the Gate played the Armageddon card for all it was worth, taking their disinformation campaign national. In 2015, Hutton declared the imposition of a moratorium on gas extraction in Victoria to be 'a historic moment'. He boasted that Lock the Gate had forced coal seam gas development to a standstill in NSW. A decade later, the cost of Lock the Gate's campaign against a safe, cheap and efficient way of producing gas is incalculable. Victoria has been importing every megajoule of gas it can beg, borrow or steal from the coal seam gas wells in Queensland. The gas is pumped on a constrained and inadequate network of pipes, starved of capital investment and political support. Now Victoria is considering importing liquid natural gas from overseas, an expensive and energy-intensive solution to the gas crisis created not by the fecklessness of the free market or President Putin but by an ignorant and disingenuous campaign by the Greens. So, before we start getting misty-eyed about olden-day greenies like Bob Brown and Hutton wrapping their arms around trees and chaining themselves to bulldozers to save Mother Nature, we would do well to imagine how different Australia might now be if it wasn't for the cult they led. We might ponder how much richer it would be if public debate hadn't been infected by a reality-defying, quasi-religious ideology that has been trying to reverse industrial and economic progress for the best part of half a century. Our best hope is that gender ideology represents peak irrationality—beyond which common sense may finally prevail. We live in hope that the patent absurdity of the Greens' latest obsession may be the straw that brings the edifice crashing down under the weight of its foolishness. Nick Cater is a senior fellow at Menzies Research Centre and a regular contributor to Sky News Australia
Perth Now
18 hours ago
- Perth Now
WA Liberal senator Michaelia Cash stands firm on ‘one flag'
A senior Liberal Party figure has backed calls for leader Sussan Ley to not use the Indigenous flag and dump 'tokenistic' Welcome to Country ceremonies and acknowledgments before official events. The two motions will be debated at Saturday's WA Liberal Party council, and has been supported by the Coalition's foreign affairs spokeswoman Michaelia Cash, after an explosive Senate debate on Welcome to Country ceremonies. On flag recognition, the motion 'calls on the Ley Opposition to adopt a policy that in addition to the Australian national flag, only flags representing official jurisdictions (such as states and territories) or government institutions (such as the armed forces) be given formal Commonwealth recognition'. Another motion will call on the federal Liberal Party to state that 'Welcome to Country ceremonies and acknowledgments should not hold official status as they are tokenistic at best and do nothing to improve the lives of our most disadvantaged Australians'. Senator Cash said she supported both motions and 'welcome them being debated at the WA State Liberal Party Council'. 'It has been my long held belief and I am on the public record saying that there is one national flag and we should all unite under it,' she said. 'On the Welcome to Country issue my long held position, that is again on the public record, is consistent with the motion.' The motions and Senator Cash's comments also split with the stance taken by the Opposition Leader who said that, while 'we should unite under the one Australian flag,' she was 'happy to stand in front of the Aboriginal flag'. Camera Icon Cash has repeatedly spoken in favour of removing the Indigenous flag and Welcome to Country ceremonies from official proceedings. NewsWire / Martin Ollman Credit: News Corp Australia 'Had a gutful' Debate on Welcome to Country ceremonies intensified on the first day of the new parliament after One Nation senators Pauline Hanson, Malcolm Roberts, Tyron Whitten and Warwick Stacey turned their backs on the chamber on Tuesday. While their actions were condemned by Labor and the Greens, party leader Senator Hanson said she had 'had a gutful' of the process. 'I have had enough, and I do not want a Welcome to Country and to be disenfranchised from my own country that I was born here,' she said. Senator Cash delivered an explosive spray at Foreign Minister Penny Wong, accusing the Labor senator of demeaning Indigenous Country Liberal Senator Jacinta Price, who said she was 'sick to death' of being 'objectified' and used as 'political tokens'. Earlier, Senator Wong urged Senator Price to follow Ms Ley's comments for the party to 'recommit ourselves to the taking of practical action to improve lives and expand opportunities for Indigenous Australians in every part of our great country'. Firing back, Senator Cash defended Senator Price. 'Do not ever demean anybody. Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price. Her mother's story — Bess Price — I suggest you all read it. A woman walking through the desert was her mother,' Ms Cash said. 'I suggest you read the story of Bess Price before you ever come in here and cast aspersions or tell us, Senator Wong, to respect other words. 'I will stand by and respect Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, who every day has lived and breathed reconciliation in this country. Her father is white, her mother is black. 'Don't ever come into this place again and pontificate to us like you've just done.' Camera Icon Senator Wong clashed with Senator Cash over Welcome to Country ceremonies and their place within Australian parliamentary procedure. NewsWire / Martin Ollman Credit: News Corp Australia Minister for Indigenous Australians Malarndirri McCarthy also questioned the Liberal Party's splintered view on Indigenous affairs. 'It was interesting because Sussan Ley sat next to Aunty Violet with the opening of the parliament and with the Prime Minister, and wanted to reset the direction for the Coalition,' she told the ABC on Thursday. While Senator McCarthy said people would bring their 'own personal opinions' into the debate around Welcome to Country ceremonies, she urged senators to be respectful. 'I don't think it will ever be settled because there will always be differing opinions,' she said. 'What was important was to remind Senators that we have a duty to the Senate to uphold, as Senator Wong said this week, to uphold democracy and the institutions of democracy in this country. And if we as Senators don't do it, then why are we there?'
News.com.au
18 hours ago
- News.com.au
WA Liberal senator Michaelia Cash stands firm on ‘one flag'
A senior Liberal Party figure has backed calls for leader Sussan Ley to not use the Indigenous flag and dump 'tokenistic' Welcome to Country ceremonies and acknowledgments before official events. The two motions will be debated at Saturday's WA Liberal Party council, and has been supported by the Coalition's foreign affairs spokeswoman Michaelia Cash, after an explosive Senate debate on Welcome to Country ceremonies. On flag recognition, the motion 'calls on the Ley Opposition to adopt a policy that in addition to the Australian national flag, only flags representing official jurisdictions (such as states and territories) or government institutions (such as the armed forces) be given formal Commonwealth recognition'. Another motion will call on the federal Liberal Party to state that 'Welcome to Country ceremonies and acknowledgments should not hold official status as they are tokenistic at best and do nothing to improve the lives of our most disadvantaged Australians'. Senator Cash said she supported both motions and 'welcome them being debated at the WA State Liberal Party Council'. 'It has been my long held belief and I am on the public record saying that there is one national flag and we should all unite under it,' she said. 'On the Welcome to Country issue my long held position, that is again on the public record, is consistent with the motion.' The motions and Senator Cash's comments also split with the stance taken by the Opposition Leader who said that, while 'we should unite under the one Australian flag,' she was 'happy to stand in front of the Aboriginal flag'. 'Had a gutful' Debate on Welcome to Country ceremonies intensified on the first day of the new parliament after One Nation senators Pauline Hanson, Malcolm Roberts, Tyron Whitten and Warwick Stacey turned their backs on the chamber on Tuesday. While their actions were condemned by Labor and the Greens, party leader Senator Hanson said she had 'had a gutful' of the process. 'I have had enough, and I do not want a Welcome to Country and to be disenfranchised from my own country that I was born here,' she said. Senator Cash delivered an explosive spray at Foreign Minister Penny Wong, accusing the Labor senator of demeaning Indigenous Country Liberal Senator Jacinta Price, who said she was 'sick to death' of being 'objectified' and used as 'political tokens'. Earlier, Senator Wong urged Senator Price to follow Ms Ley's comments for the party to 'recommit ourselves to the taking of practical action to improve lives and expand opportunities for Indigenous Australians in every part of our great country'. Firing back, Senator Cash defended Senator Price. 'Do not ever demean anybody. Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price. Her mother's story — Bess Price — I suggest you all read it. A woman walking through the desert was her mother,' Ms Cash said. 'I suggest you read the story of Bess Price before you ever come in here and cast aspersions or tell us, Senator Wong, to respect other words. 'I will stand by and respect Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, who every day has lived and breathed reconciliation in this country. Her father is white, her mother is black. 'Don't ever come into this place again and pontificate to us like you've just done.' Minister for Indigenous Australians Malarndirri McCarthy also questioned the Liberal Party's splintered view on Indigenous affairs. 'It was interesting because Sussan Ley sat next to Aunty Violet with the opening of the parliament and with the Prime Minister, and wanted to reset the direction for the Coalition,' she told the ABC on Thursday. While Senator McCarthy said people would bring their 'own personal opinions' into the debate around Welcome to Country ceremonies, she urged senators to be respectful. 'I don't think it will ever be settled because there will always be differing opinions,' she said. 'What was important was to remind Senators that we have a duty to the Senate to uphold, as Senator Wong said this week, to uphold democracy and the institutions of democracy in this country. And if we as Senators don't do it, then why are we there?'
