Latest news with #NathanielSmith
News.com.au
03-05-2025
- Politics
- News.com.au
Labor MP Anna Watson ‘trips' into young Lib volunteer
NSW Labor MP Anna Watson claimed she 'tripped' after barging into a young man handing out how-to-vote cards for a Liberal candidate. The bizarre altercation took place outside a polling booth in the seat of Whitlam on the New South Wales South Coast. Ms Watson, who was helping out as a volunteer for Labor's Carol Berry, was filmed shoving into the volunteer for Coalition hopeful Nathaniel Smith. 'I'm sorry, that's my spot,' she said, pushing the young man out of his way. 'Sorry about that! Sorry about that!' 'Ooh, a bit phyiscal,' the Liberal volunteer replied as he moved away from the conflict. 'No, no, I tripped over my own feet,' Watson insisted. The seat of Whitlam has already been the centre of plenty of controversy in the lead-up to the federal election. Peter Dutton was forced to dump his candidate Benjamin Britton after it emerged he had once claimed the Defence Force 'need to remove females from combat corps' in order to 'fix' our military. first revealed that in a series of fringe podcast interviews before his December preselection, Mr Britton blamed 'diversity and equity quotas, Marxist ideology and woke ideologies' for weakening Australia's defence. Mr Britton, who served Australia in the 3rd Battalion Royal Australian Regiment, pointed to the Federal Government's 2013 decision to lift gender restrictions on frontline combat positions. The Liberal Party took swift action, telling he was no longer a candidate on April 6. 'The Administrative Committee of the NSW Division met today and has endorsed Nathaniel Smith as the Liberal candidate for the seat of Whitlam,' he said.
ABC News
29-04-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
Peter Dutton's campaign woes were planted a decade before this election
The weird thing about election campaigns is the way they sometimes take on a life of their own. One thing goes wrong, and that thing exacerbates an existing weakness, and in rushing to fix that, you create another problem and before you know it, you're sitting down to the full English breakfast at the Clusterf**k Café. Once you're in this phase, even tiny debacles assume a sort of grim, superstitious significance, usually because they are symptoms of a much deeper problem. The Liberal Party's replacement for Ben Britton, its dumped candidate in the NSW seat of Whitlam, is Nathaniel Smith. ( Supplied ) Confusion in Whitlam An example: in the week before Easter, householders in the NSW electorate of Whitlam received direct mail outs from the Liberal Party's candidate, introducing himself and inviting voters to complete the enclosed application for a postal vote. Former Liberal candidate for the NSW seat of Whitlam Ben Britton. ( Liberal Party website ) Only, the smiling face atop the letter was that of Ben Britton, Dutton — already in the deep-freeze with women over his airy observation that women forced to return to the office could "always job-share" — crisply took Britton out to the barracks and gave him the full Breaker Morant. But this reminded everyone that shadow defence minister Andrew Hastie had also expressed the view that women shouldn't serve in combat roles. Was he still of this view? Hastie suddenly became extremely busy in his seat and was not available for comment on the matter for several weeks. The Liberal Party has mailed out a letter about Ben Britton, who has since been dumped from the party and is running as an independent. ( Supplied ) Britton, meanwhile (perhaps sensing uncharted pockets of support among the Illawarra's military conservatives and hobby orthopaedists) is now running as an independent against the Liberal Party. The party which has accidentally mailed every household in Whitlam a lovely letter explaining how wonderful he is. The new Liberal candidate, Nathaniel Smith, is not featured in his party's expensive campaign mailout. His Liberal campaign signs appear around the electorate, in some cases next to Liberal campaign signs for his predecessor, whose name — Sod's Law strikes again — was drawn randomly by the AEC to appear in the spot right below his on the ballot paper. The Liberal candidate for Whitlam, Nathaniel-Smith. ( Liberal Party of Australia ) Sending out expensive campaign literature in one seat promoting the embarrassing candidate you've just tried to scrape off your boot is — in the scheme of an 150-seat campaign — a small, if discordant note. But for the NSW Liberal Party — the recording artists whose 2024 hit The visual metaphors don't stop Meanwhile, in Melbourne, a truck towing a Liberal mobile billboard warning motorists against the "DOUBLE TROUBLE!" of Anthony Albanese ("More Debt!) and Victorian Premier Jacinta Allen ("More Crime!") — got itself stuck under a low bridge. This was a visual from which even the Metaphor Gods averted their eyes; ditto the moment on Monday when the Dutton campaign bus got stuck in Sydney and had to be pushed free by volunteers. Loading Twitter content Dutton's poker face is pretty good, and he keeps stolidly showing up, but there's no denying that some days he must absolutely feel like skipping the dawn meditation and staying in bed with a bag of corn chips and season three of Yellowstone. When things go wrong, it's very tempting to blame the media, and there was a fair bit of this going on in the Albanese biosphere last year, when everything seemed to be going wrong for him and he regularly bemoaned to associates that he had — unlike Dutton — no cheerleaders in the media. At a Melbourne Liberal rally on Sunday, the opposition leader blamed the "hate media" — under which umbrella he grouped the ABC, the Guardian Australia "and others" — for distorting his campaign, which he assured his followers he was capable of winning. At a Melbourne Liberal rally on Sunday, the opposition leader blamed the "hate media" for distorting his campaign. ( ABC News: Ian Cutmore ) The Coalition's recovery Let's remove media commentary from the equation, then, and take a glance at what the sentiment of the people seems to be. As referenced by my colleague Jacob Greber on Sunday, Its shape is a kind of horrendous hockey stick, bearing out the view that things have not gone well for Dutton, after a year and a half of things going very well indeed for him. Stay updated: Catch the latest interviews and in-depth coverage on Of course, anyone who recalls the 2019 election in any detail must always be cautious about the reliability of polls, and to allow for the possibility that a messy national campaign doesn't necessarily preclude a goat track to victory built on the stepping stones of individual local seat campaigns. But if you have a look at You can also see that the trend, thereafter, was the Coalition's recovery. The polls got this right, but not in sufficient quantum to pick the election result accurately. Subsequent analysis concluded that most polls overstated Labor's support. So, in 2019 and in 2025, the aggregate of polls is showing the same trend. An incumbent government — though not necessarily warmly loved — is making up ground against an opponent to whom voters gave serious consideration for a while, but then decided to stick with the devil they knew. The wild card in this election is the high level of "soft" voters and the large swing to One Nation in published polls. ( ABC News: Matt Roberts ) A wave of 'soft' voters The wild card in this scenario? It's the high level of "soft" voters, and the large swing to One Nation in published polls. The party is currently hovering around 8 per cent nationally (double its vote in 2022), and higher in some outer metropolitan, stressed, commuter belt electorates where cost of living and immigration are particularly front-of-mind. If preferences flow back to the Coalition at a higher rate than has been observed in past elections (65 per cent in 2019, and 64 per cent in 2022) — well, then there might be some interesting scenes in "safe" Labor seats. This is why Dutton has spent time in Gorton and Hawke in Victoria, for instance. And it explains why the Liberal Party has poured resources into postal ballot mail outs in the campaign-cursed seat of Whitlam, which has never been held by the Liberal Party, but whose resounding "No" vote at the referendum signalled that its long-term devotion to the ALP was conditional. At the 2022 election, One Nation and Clive Palmer's UAP and the Liberal Democrats — all minor parties of the right — logged more than 15 per cent between them. When you read about Coalition sources talking mysteriously of narrow goat tracks to victory, these are the tracks and goats of which they speak. Could they be enough? If you had a hundred bucks of someone else's money, you'd say probably not. Mainly because if you step back from the campaign detail and ephemera canvassed above and view things in the context of our electoral history, it tells you that first term oppositions hardly ever win elections. Even when things go reasonably well. Dutton would no doubt have preferred a campaign where his state party organisations held together, Donald Trump didn't blow up the global trade system and the Pope held on for another fortnight. But that's how the cookie crumbles. Jim Chalmers has capitalised on the unpopularity of the 2014 federal budget. ( ABC News: Matt Roberts ) Which ads are working? One more thing, though — if you can stand to read any more words at all on an election campaign so uninspiring that record numbers of voters have lodged pre-polls just to secure merciful release. Pollsters at Redbridge — whose principals Tony Barry (ex-Liberal) and Kos Samaras (ex-Labor) will feature on the ABC's election night broadcast — asked respondents earlier this month what campaign messages they found most convincing. The stand-out — by a country mile — was Labor's assertion, in its wall-to-wall droning red-and-black campaign ads, that "Peter Dutton's nuclear plan will cost $600bn, and he will need to make cuts to pay for it". This ad is reinforced by other ads reminding voters that as health minister in the Abbott government in 2014, Dutton "ripped $50bn out of health". Labor here has lashed together two things that worry people (expensive nuclear reactors, cuts to health) and then staple-gunned the lot to Dutton. A theme in Labor's election advertising comes from a single chart in a glossy booklet from Joe Hockey and Tony Abbott's 2014 budget. ( AAP: Lukas Coch ) A glossy booklet plays a starring role It's been very successful, and it's utterly shameless on two grounds. The first is that Dutton didn't "rip" anything like $50bn out of health. The figure comes from a single chart in a single glossy booklet published alongside the 2014 Budget, in which Tony Abbott and Joe Hockey made much of their fiscal prudence by showing that their projected spending on health over the ensuing decade would be $50bn less than that forecast by the previous Gillard government. Real life swiftly took over, of course. The Senate blew a hole in the 2014 Budget and then the Liberal Party blew a hole in Tony Abbott, and everything changed, which is what happens when governments change. Read more about the federal election: Want even more? Here's where you can find all our 2025 But Jim Chalmers and Anthony Albanese never forgot that glossy document, and 11 years later it's playing a starring role in their campaign. Here's the second reason why the attack is shameless: governments amend future spending projections all the time. This government has done this exact thing in its current term! In the 2023 budget, Albanese and Chalmers committed to carving $79 billion out of the NDIS over the next decade. And last year, the pair signed off on an aged care plan which reduced government spending by $12.6 billion over 11 years. Whhhhaaattttt? Sound the klaxons! Gather the Coalition footsoldiers! Campaign Attack Ad Jackpot! Angus Taylor to the Situation Room! Fire up the Reverse Scare-A-Tron! Labor's ripped $80 billion out of the NDIS and $12 billion out of aged care, and we have the budget papers to prove it! All is not lost! We shall ride to victory upon the backs of outraged carers! Even though they are already very, very tired! But silence reigns. The opposition hasn't made one ad attacking the government for "ripping $80bn out of the NDIS" or "ripping $12bn out of aged care". Why? Why are we not seeing revenge attack ads from the Liberal Party making the perfectly reasonable point that Chalmers has yanked more out of the NDIS than Dutton ever managed to from Medicare? This is where Sod's Law — settling around Dutton's shoulders now like a clammy mantle of doom — strikes again. Opposition leader forfeits his scare campaign Dutton cannot accuse the government of heartlessly dudding older Australians and those with a disability, for one very good reason. And that reason is that those cuts to aged care and the NDIS were made in formal deals after significant negotiation, behind closed doors, between the government and the opposition. His signature was on the manifest. His party voted with the government. He is a registered co-owner of those cuts. At the time, Dutton was warned that signing up to aged care cuts would rob him of the ability to run an anti-Labor scare campaign among older Australians. Photo shows Brett Worthington looks at the camera wearing a blue blazer and glasses Sign up to the ABC Politics newsletter with Brett Worthington But these deals were done last year, when Dutton was riding high, the government was floundering, and the unthinkable possibility of returning to government after just one term in opposition seemed, for a halcyon moment, thinkable. As Michelle Grattan wrote at the time of the aged care deal: "Essentially the Coalition has sacrificed a possible short-term political advantage for a longer-term budgetary gain for a future conservative government." Looking back, Dutton might ruefully reflect that a savage aged care scare campaign might have come in handy right about now. But let's not be so relentlessly cynical. The truth is that budgets do need to remain faintly affordable. Sometimes you do have to cut your coat according to the cloth available. And if you find a juncture at which a majority of Parliament's elected members agree on when and how to do that, well, isn't that the one job we elect politicians to do? To make hard decisions in the long-term interest of the nation, even when we don't much like them? Loading Having trouble seeing this form? Try
The Guardian
27-04-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Pro-gas group with link to Liberal party referred to ACCC over alleged misleading claims
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has been asked to investigate allegedly misleading claims made by Australians for Natural Gas, a pro-gas group with directors who include a gas industry executive and a Liberal candidate running in the federal election. Lawyers acting for Climate Integrity, a not-for-profit focused on corporate accountability, have filed a complaint with the ACCC. They argue the website and advertising materials of Australians for Natural Gas have failed to disclose its directors' links to the gas industry and Liberal party, and overinflated the role of gas in the economy and energy transition. Sign up for the Afternoon Update: Election 2025 email newsletter On its website, Australians for Natural Gas describes itself as a 'not-for-profit organisation representing the interests of Aussie households, industries and producers'. The company was registered in January 2025 with Joel Riddle and Nathaniel Smith among its directors, according to information provided to the Australian Securities and Investments Commission. Riddle is the chief executive of the gas company Tamboran Resources, which holds the largest share of acreage in the Beetaloo basin, according to the company's website. Smith was installed as the Liberal candidate for the New South Wales seat of Whitlam after the party's initial choice was disendorsed, and was previously a member of the NSW parliament from 2019 to 2023. The complaint to the ACCC alleges that Australians for Natural Gas has represented itself on its website and on social media as a grassroots not-for-profit organisation, failing to disclose its directors' interests. It says the company overstates the contribution of gas to the Australian economy, by relying on out of date information; overstates the global demand for gas; and that its claims about the role of gas exploration in reducing electricity bills do not disclose that the cheapest electricity is from renewable sources. The complaint also alleges that claims of reduced emissions thanks to gas replacing coal are misleading because they ignore research about the emissions associated with the processing and transportation of Liquefied Natural Gas, and assume gas would not in fact replace renewable energy. The director of Climate Integrity, Claire Snyder, said Australians for Natural Gas appeared to be 'an incredibly brazen example of astroturfing'. 'One thing that was concerning to us is that this website popped up right at the beginning of an election campaign, when energy is a critical and vote-deciding issue,' she said. She said Climate Integrity was raising its concerns with the ACCC to ensure a factual and evidence-based public discussion of energy and climate change, and the role of gas in the transition to zero emissions, particularly during the election. A spokesperson for Australians for Natural Gas described the complaint as 'spurious', noting its membership included users and producers of natural gas, 'as we clearly state on our website'. They did not respond when contacted in relation to Snyder's comments. On its website, the company says its membership 'encompasses a diverse array of stakeholders across the natural gas value chain, including upstream producers, midstream infrastructure operators, and downstream users in industry'. It does not name any of its members or directors, or provide any contact email, street address or phone number. Sign up to Clear Air Australia Adam Morton brings you incisive analysis about the politics and impact of the climate crisis after newsletter promotion 'We are focused on highlighting the important role that affordable and reliable natural gas plays in supporting the economy and the wider community,' the spokesperson said. Gas policy has been a key issue in the election, with the Coalition proposing that producers would be required to supply an additional 50 to 100 petajoules to east coast states. Two academics from Monash University's Climate Change Communication Hub, writing in The Conversation, have accused Australians for Natural Gas of producing 'climate misinformation' in ads that had been seen more than 1m times during the election campaign. Kirsty Ruddock, the managing lawyer of the corporate and commercial team at the Environmental Defenders Office, which drafted the letter, said the ACCC had identified misleading claims about energy and greenwashing among its compliance and enforcement priorities for 2025-26. 'We'd like them to investigate so they can determine whether there are breaches of the Australian consumer law, and ensure that companies that are making these types of statements are held to account. 'The longer these representations go on, the more impact they have. So it's important to address them relatively quickly, and make sure that the regulators are looking at it.'
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Climate activist vandalizes presidential insignia inside Trump Tower: 'Ruining the planet for profit'
A climate protester was seen spray-painting "USA" over a presidential plaque inside Trump Tower in New York City on Wednesday afternoon. Nathaniel Smith, 36, a Brooklyn resident, was arrested over the act of vandalism, the New York Police Department told Fox News Digital. The vandal was filmed spray-painting over the plaque in the Manhattan building before kneeling on the floor and holding a small banner that read: "Game Over," according to video footage of the incident. He was escorted away from the scene by authorities. Karoline Leavitt Condemns 'Dangerous' Attacks On Tesla: 'Domestic Terrorism' "This is your country. This is our country. This is our planet. … You cannot ruin it without comment. They are ruining the planet for profit," he was heard yelling while being led out of the building. Read On The Fox News App Bystanders then began taking photos of themselves with the defaced insignia. Smith is charged with third-degree criminal tampering and possession of a graffiti instrument. Walz Staffer Accused Of Vandalizing Teslas Might Not Face Charges: Report Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House for comment. The incident came a day after an environmental activist group spray-painted the famous Wall Street Charging Bull. The group was reportedly also behind the vandalism at a Tesla showroom in Lower Manhattan. Video shows two maskless men scrawling "F—k DOGE" and "We do not consent" on the store's windows with fluorescent red and green spray paint. The group behind the incident appeared to belong to the climate activist group Extinction Rebellion, which is known to overtake public spaces, cause disruptions and deface public article source: Climate activist vandalizes presidential insignia inside Trump Tower: 'Ruining the planet for profit'
Fox News
24-04-2025
- Fox News
Climate activist vandalizes presidential insignia inside Trump Tower: 'Ruining the planet for profit'
A climate protester was seen spray-painting "USA" over a presidential plaque inside Trump Tower in New York City on Wednesday afternoon. Nathaniel Smith, 36, a Brooklyn resident, was arrested over the act of vandalism, the New York Police Department told Fox News Digital. The vandal was filmed spray-painting over the plaque in the Manhattan building before kneeling on the floor and holding a small banner that read: "Game Over," according to video footage of the incident. He was escorted away from the scene by authorities. "This is your country. This is our country. This is our planet. … You cannot ruin it without comment. They are ruining the planet for profit," he was heard yelling while being led out of the building. Bystanders then began taking photos of themselves with the defaced insignia. Smith is charged with third-degree criminal tampering and possession of a graffiti instrument. Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House for comment. The incident came a day after an environmental activist group spray-painted the famous Wall Street Charging Bull. The group was reportedly also behind the vandalism at a Tesla showroom in Lower Manhattan. Video shows two maskless men scrawling "F—k DOGE" and "We do not consent" on the store's windows with fluorescent red and green spray paint. The group behind the incident appeared to belong to the climate activist group Extinction Rebellion, which is known to overtake public spaces, cause disruptions and deface public buildings.
