tag:theconversation.com,2011:/us/topics/george-christensen-25910/articlesGeorge Christensen – The Conversation2022-04-13T12:23:16Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1812752022-04-13T12:23:16Z2022-04-13T12:23:16ZView from The Hill: New One Nation candidate George Christensen set to win from losing<p>George Christensen caused the government a heap of trouble while he was in the Nationals, and is set to be a pest now he’s jumped ship. </p>
<p>A year ago Christensen announced he wouldn’t re-contest at this election, saying “I think my time is done”. Now he’s opted, just days after resigning from the Liberal National Party, to run as third candidate on the One Nation Queensland Senate ticket. </p>
<p>He won’t win a seat but defeat will entitle him to a $105,000 “resettlement allowance”. </p>
<p>It had been earlier reported he’d tried to have the LNP disendorse him, so he could get this payout, but it had declined. (Christensen claims he is already likely entitled to the money but this is denied by government sources.)</p>
<p>At a news conference with his new leader, Pauline Hanson, Christensen said if he could help get Hanson and maybe her number two candidate elected it would be “the job done, because Pauline’s been a warrior for common sense conservative issues”. </p>
<p>Christensen, 43, member for the north Queensland seat of Dawson since 2010, has been extended an extraordinary degree of tolerance by his colleagues over the years. His party has treated him with kid gloves, despite some outrageous behaviour. </p>
<p>So indeed did his electorate. Regardless of his spending nearly 300 days in the Philippines between April 2014 and June 2018 – which earned him the title “the member for Manila” – the Dawson locals gave him a positive swing of more than 11% in 2019.</p>
<p>Over the years Christensen periodically threatened to cross the floor and sometimes did, although he was equally likely to draw back after kicking up the dust. In his book A Bigger Picture, Malcolm Turnbull has a diary entry saying Christensen kept threatening to move to the crossbench.</p>
<p>In late 2017 he encouraged Sky to report that an unnamed Coalition MP would quit the government if Turnbull remained prime minister, then changed his mind leaving a couple of presenters high and dry. </p>
<p>In the arguments over the handling of COVID, he featured prominently at anti-lockdown and anti-vaccination rallies. </p>
<p>In August last year he condemned the handling of the pandemic, declaring in a parliamentary speech: “restore our freedoms, end this madness.” Scott Morrison dissociated himself from Christensen’s views and the house voted to condemn his comments. </p>
<p>Christensen called the bluff of his peers and betters in the Nationals. When tackled about his maverick backbencher Barnaby Joyce would say that taking him on would be fruitless, and just make things more difficult. Nationals deputy leader David Littleproud earlier this year described him as a “free spirit” while disagreeing with him. </p>
<p>Christensen and Joyce only spoke about his defection on Tuesday night. On the campaign trail on Wednesday, Joyce described his action as an “unwelcome distraction”. </p>
<p>Senator Matt Canavan months ago tried to talk Christensen out of retiring, believing he was an asset for the LNP and a great campaigner. </p>
<p>Canavan now describes his former colleague as “a coward” for “shirking away from battles in the LNP” in favour of the “echo chamber” of a minor party. He’d deserted the Nationals party members, Canavan said. </p>
<p>Canavan admits that Christensen could harm the LNP Senate vote in Queensland, where there are “a lot of angry people” from the debate over COVID and vaccines.</p>
<p>Christensen told the Courier Mail he should have joined One Nation “a long time ago”.</p>
<p>“The more I queried One Nation’s policies and looked at their constitution, their core beliefs, the things that Pauline has been campaigning on recently, just about everything aligned with my views.”</p>
<p>On Sky on Wednesday night he said he hadn’t deserted anyone because “my beliefs are exactly the same. I’ve just realised One Nation is more in tune with those thoughts.” He rejected the gold-digging interpretation of his motives for running for One Nation. </p>
<p>He said he had fulfilled his “contract” because he had stuck with the LNP right to the end of the parliament before he “pulled the pin”. He named not just the handling of COVID but the signing up to the 2050 net zero target as among his beefs. One Nation was the only party in the parliament questioning “this religion of manmade climate change”. </p>
<p>“You get sick of defending the indefensible,” he said. </p>
<p>He said it was “not impossible” to win the Senate seat but it would be “a big ask”, although he claimed he was in One Nation “for the long haul”. </p>
<p>For a minor party, One Nation sure has a big umbrella. In their earlier years George Christensen and former Labor leader Mark Latham (now in the NSW parliament) would never have imagined they’d end up wearing the same brand.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/181275/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Michelle Grattan does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>George Christensen caused the government a heap of trouble while he was in the Nationals, and is set to be a pest now he’s jumped ship.Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of CanberraLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1752442022-01-19T08:18:09Z2022-01-19T08:18:09ZPolitics with Michelle Grattan: A very bad start to 2022 for Morrison, but can Albanese win?<p>In addition to her regular interviews with politicians and experts, Politics with Michelle Grattan now includes “Word from The Hill”, where Michelle discusses the news of the week with The Conversation’s politics team.</p>
<p>This week, Politics + Society senior deputy editor Justin Bergman and Michelle discuss the eventful start to the election year. </p>
<p>With massive surges in COVID cases in most of the country and rapid antigen tests hard to get, the current mood in the electorate is not in the government’s favour, as <a href="https://theconversation.com/coalition-slumps-in-first-poll-of-2022-as-voters-lose-confidence-in-morrisons-handling-of-pandemic-175138">polling is showing</a>. </p>
<p>Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s troubles were worsened by the damaging and dangerous antics of outgoing MP George Christensen, urging parents not to get their children vaccinated. (In the wake of Morrison’s condemnation, Christensen <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-01-19/george-christensen-resigns-chair-committee-covid-vaccine-comment/100767918">announced</a> after this podcast was recorded that he was stepping down from his position on a parliamentary committee.)</p>
<p>But there’s still a budget to come in March, and a number of months between what might be the near-peak of Omicron and the election now destined for May.</p>
<p>As the political year gets into swing, the question is whether the election is really Opposition leader Anthony Albanese’s to win, or simply Morrison’s to lose.</p>
<h2>Additional audio</h2>
<p><a href="https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Blue_Dot_Sessions/Azalai/Gaena">Gaena</a>, Blue Dot Sessions, from Free Music Archive.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/175244/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Michelle Grattan does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>A discussion on what the latest Resolve poll means for the Coalition, George Christensen and Anthony Albanese's chances in the election.Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of CanberraLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1696322021-10-12T19:11:35Z2021-10-12T19:11:35ZThe net-zero bandwagon is gathering steam, and resistant MPs are about to be run over<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/425849/original/file-20211012-26-18b837y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C7%2C5246%2C3484&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Mick Tsikas/AAP</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Prime Minister Scott Morrison appears to be moving towards securing Coalition agreement for a net-zero emissions by 2050. It comes weeks out from the crucial COP26 climate talks in Glasgow, where Australia’s record on global climate action will be heavily scrutinised.</p>
<p>Horse-trading between the Liberals and Nationals is under way, and the government is <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/industries-to-be-shielded-in-federal-bid-for-net-zero-20211012-p58zcj.html">reportedly</a> set to reveal its climate targets and technology roadmap early next week. </p>
<p>But first, Morrison must secure majority support from the National Party. A few vocal Nationals figures, including Matt Canavan, Keith Pitt and George Christensen, have sought to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/sep/26/i-havent-even-begun-to-fight-matt-canavan-to-defy-nationals-party-room-if-majority-back-net-zero">block</a> or <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/sep/25/australian-jobs-more-important-than-net-zero-nationals-minister-says">moderate</a> a net-zero commitment. </p>
<p>Some of their concerns are valid – regional Australia will shoulder a big burden in the transition to a low-emissions economy. But the tides of international and domestic affairs are turning. Most government MPs have accepted the inevitable, and the issue will not break the bonds of an enduring Coalition.</p>
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<h2>Net-zero and the Nationals</h2>
<p>The Nationals do have legitimate economic and political reasons for being concerned about a net-zero target. </p>
<p>First, a move away from coal and gas would lead to job losses in regional areas. And the federal government’s policy playbook to support rural and remote areas is extremely thin, relying heavily on spillover economic benefits from agricultural development and mining. </p>
<p>This means the Nationals, as the self-proclaimed regional party, have few economic levers to pull. Retaining mining investment is both politically and, at regional and local scales, economically <a href="https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/6407349.pdf">important</a>. </p>
<p>Second, policy mechanisms such as a price on carbon or caps on greenhouse gas emissions could add to costs for people living in regions, and to agricultural industries such as beef production, where reducing emissions will <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-clock-is-ticking-on-net-zero-and-australias-farmers-must-not-get-a-free-pass-168474">not be</a> straightforward or cheap. </p>
<p>Third, the Nationals’ opposition is somewhat in line with the party’s ideology and electoral positioning. It has historically pitched itself as a defender of national economic interests and “traditional” industries such as farming and mining. </p>
<p>At the same time, the party has long opposed, on economic and social grounds, post-materialist influences such as deep Green environmentalism. </p>
<p>Finally, the Nationals, along with the Liberals, have successfully used climate change policies to wedge the Labor Party and paint it as part of a supposed Labor-Green axis. This tactic worked well in central Queensland in the last federal election.</p>
<p>So for some Nats, conceding to net-zero might be seen as an ideological capitulation and yet more evidence of their ineffective efforts to stand up for the bush. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-nationals-signing-up-to-net-zero-should-be-a-no-brainer-instead-theyre-holding-australia-to-ransom-168845">The Nationals signing up to net-zero should be a no-brainer. Instead, they're holding Australia to ransom</a>
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<img alt="three people stand in field" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/425851/original/file-20211012-21-1vbmpyx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/425851/original/file-20211012-21-1vbmpyx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=415&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/425851/original/file-20211012-21-1vbmpyx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=415&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/425851/original/file-20211012-21-1vbmpyx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=415&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/425851/original/file-20211012-21-1vbmpyx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=522&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/425851/original/file-20211012-21-1vbmpyx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=522&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/425851/original/file-20211012-21-1vbmpyx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=522&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Nationals capitulation on net-zero may be seen as evidence they are not standing up for farmers.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Our Cow/AAP</span></span>
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<h2>Net-zero gathers (renewable) steam</h2>
<p>The problem for the Nationals resistance movement, however, is that it’s becoming increasingly isolated. </p>
<p>Both the Biden administration in Washington and the United Kingdom government are <a href="https://theconversation.com/boris-johnson-overstates-morrisons-climate-ambition-as-australia-uk-trade-agreement-reached-162790">pressuring</a> Australia to commit to the 2050 net-zero target.</p>
<p>And several jurisdictions, such as the <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-08-17/australian-exporters-pay-the-price-with-european-carbon-tax/100379998">European Union</a>, are considering or planning <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jul/15/what-does-the-eus-carbon-tariff-proposal-mean-for-australia">carbon tariffs</a> on imports from nations without strong climate policies.</p>
<p>In the context of recent shifts in the international policy landscape, railing against such tariffs looks anachronistic. </p>
<p>As National Farmers’ Federation (NFF) chief executive Tony Mahar <a href="https://www.farmonline.com.au/story/7348275/eu-carbon-tariff-avoids-ag-for-now-but-sector-cant-be-naive/">said</a> earlier this year, “as an industry dependent on exporting, Australian agriculture must be ready to adjust to a more carbon-conscious trading future”. </p>
<p>Domestically, state governments, including those with Coalition incumbents, have <a href="https://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/topics/climate-change/net-zero-plan">shifted</a> to net-zero-type targets. So too have important lobby groups, <a href="https://nff.org.au/media-release/nff-calls-for-net-carbon-zero-by-2050/">such as</a> the NFF and the <a href="https://www.bca.com.au/achieving_net_zero_with_more_jobs_and_stronger_regions">Business Council of Australia</a>.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, moderates in the federal Liberal Party are <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/sep/28/scott-morrison-meets-with-liberal-mps-worried-coalition-will-appease-nationals-on-net-zero.">gearing up</a> to argue for a net-zero plan and against large compensation for particular industries. </p>
<p>All this leaves the Nationals’ resistance movement rather short of influential allies.</p>
<p>Opponents could, of course, roll out the implied threat of breaking the Coalition. But moderate Nationals have <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-09-28/climate-change-net-zero-2050-coalition-divide-nationals/100496264.">hosed down</a> suggestions a net-zero target is a make-or-break issue for the Coalition partners. And historically, Coalition breaks – especially in government – are extremely rare.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/5-reasons-why-the-morrison-government-needs-a-net-zero-target-not-a-flimsy-plan-169015">5 reasons why the Morrison government needs a net-zero target, not a flimsy plan</a>
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<img alt="two men ion masks in front of flags" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/425854/original/file-20211012-15-1sbzugt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/425854/original/file-20211012-15-1sbzugt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/425854/original/file-20211012-15-1sbzugt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/425854/original/file-20211012-15-1sbzugt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/425854/original/file-20211012-15-1sbzugt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/425854/original/file-20211012-15-1sbzugt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/425854/original/file-20211012-15-1sbzugt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Prime Minister Scott Morrison is under pressure to adopt stronger climate policies, including from US President Joe Biden.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Evan Vucci/AP</span></span>
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<h2>Sealing the deal</h2>
<p>Nonetheless, even Nationals in favour of a net-zero target want assurances for the regions and agricultural industries. </p>
<p>An obvious and relatively easy policy response is to ensure new <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2020-05-31/renewable-energy-zone-plan-targets-nsw-regional-businesses/12299652">renewable energy projects</a> in the <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-10-10/qld-palaszczuk-andrew-forrest-hydrogen-gladstone/100527670">regions</a> deliver local economic benefits, such as through favourable purchasing and employment strategies or even dividend sharing.</p>
<p>Second is to ensure these and other projects continue to drive down electricity costs. This is especially important for energy-intensive agricultural production such as irrigated crop and pasture production. Where possible, regional landholders could receive income from local energy ventures as hosts of, or even partners in, projects. </p>
<p>Third, funding for land-based carbon storage could be expanded. </p>
<p>Australian landholders have made a huge contribution to national emissions offsets over decades, largely through vegetation management which draws carbon from the atmosphere and stores it in plants and soil. Such management has largely been the result of state government regulation preventing land clearing and farmers have historically received little direct benefit in return.</p>
<p>The federal government is now <a href="https://www.agriculture.gov.au/ag-farm-food/climatechange/cfi">contributing funding</a> for landholders who create land-based carbon sinks under the <a href="http://www.cleanenergyregulator.gov.au/ERF">Emissions Reduction Fund</a>. But the resulting projects have caused local concerns and the carbon storage outcomes are <a href="https://theconversation.com/us-scheme-used-by-australian-farmers-reveals-the-dangers-of-trading-soil-carbon-to-tackle-climate-change-161358">uncertain</a>. </p>
<p>So expanding such schemes will not be easy. It must be done in a way that meets integrity standards, and without alienating local people. </p>
<p>The Morrison government is understandably averse to direct carbon pricing, given the toxic climate politics of the last decade. It’s instead focused on low-emissions <a href="https://www.industry.gov.au/data-and-publications/technology-investment-roadmap-first-low-emissions-technology-statement-2020">technological solutions</a>. </p>
<p>This might lead to new low-emisisons technologies for the regions, such as conversion to renewable energy and innovative transport systems. But there’s no timeline yet for when such technology will materialise.</p>
<p>The Nationals are right to demand detail in the climate policy deal. But the net-zero bandwagon cannot be stopped – at best, the Nationals must settle for perhaps quite modest compensation for their constituents.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/australia-could-green-its-degraded-landscapes-for-just-6-of-what-we-spend-on-defence-168807">Australia could 'green' its degraded landscapes for just 6% of what we spend on defence</a>
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<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Geoff Cockfield does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Nationals’ concerns about the effects on regional Australia are legitimate, but greater forces in favour of a net-zero emissions target will likely push the policy over the line.Geoff Cockfield, Honorary Professor in Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development, University of Southern QueenslandLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1661902021-09-02T05:34:31Z2021-09-02T05:34:31ZThe George Christensen formula — how do maverick MPs succeed in Australian politics?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/417343/original/file-20210823-13-1sv3h5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=28%2C0%2C3174%2C1805&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Mick Tsikas/AAP</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Nationals MP George Christensen recently <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-08-10/george-christensen-mp-condemned-parliament-covid-misinformation/100365856">copped condemnation</a> from federal parliament for spreading misinformation about COVID-19. </p>
<p>The member for the central Queensland seat of Dawson falsely claimed masks and lockdowns were ineffective against the spread of COVID, demanding governments “open society back up” to “restore our freedoms [and] end this madness”. In a rare move, both Labor and the government backed the motion against him. </p>
<p>The comments were outrageous, but not surprising. Christensen, who has been in parliament since 2010, has a <a href="https://www.sbs.com.au/topics/life/feature/george-controversies-australian-government-mp">long history</a> of courting controversy, including comments on Muslim immigrants and global warming. </p>
<p>Why do people listen to him? Where does his power base come from? </p>
<h2>Democratically elected, so…</h2>
<p>Understanding why Christensen can make such statements — and why the news media report them — is simple: as a democratically elected MP, he is entitled to air even the most egregious views under parliamentary privilege. </p>
<p>Of course, the parliament is equally entitled to condemn him. And the more novel his views, and the more conflict they produce, the more likely they are to be reported.</p>
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<p>What is more difficult to explain, however, is how and why maverick politicians succeed in a liberal democracy like Australia, where the confines of political discourse have traditionally been quite narrow. </p>
<p>Unlike many European polities, Australian politics have never really entertained hard socialism on the left or ultra-conservatism on the right, at least until the rise of Pauline Hanson’s One Nation in the late 1990s. </p>
<h2>The maverick tradition in Australia</h2>
<p>Yet mavericks have existed since the earliest days of Australian politics.</p>
<p>Before the evolution of the modern party system 130 years ago, rogues were common in legislatures free from party constraints. Today, given the major parties’ discipline over their MPs — most of whom boast frontbench ambitions — and an aggressive Fourth Estate, political mavericks are much rarer. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/twenty-years-on-one-nation-is-still-chaotic-controversial-and-influential-97247">Twenty years on, One Nation is still chaotic, controversial and influential</a>
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<p>And those who fail to toe the party line are often forced out. Pauline Hanson, Bob Katter, Clive Palmer, Fraser Anning (Queensland appears to be a natural home to mavericks) are just a few examples of those who left established parties to lead their own, self-titled brigades. </p>
<p>Other mavericks include Graeme Campbell (Western Australia), Jacqui Lambie (Tasmania) and Fred Nile, Mark Latham and Craig Kelly (NSW).</p>
<p>While overwhelmingly from conservative ranks, mavericks have come from the centre, such as South Australia’s Nick Xenophon. They have also come from the hard left, in the case of Queensland’s Fred Paterson, Australia’s only Communist Party MP, elected to a central Queensland seat in the 1940s.</p>
<h2>What is it about Queensland?</h2>
<p>But what is it about Queensland regional voters and their predilection for mavericks? </p>
<p>The answer lies in understanding Queensland’s unique political culture – steeped in a populism that vilifies “elites” and “outsiders”. This itself built upon five pillars: </p>
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<li>a reverence for strong, opinionated leaders</li>
<li>a demand for regional services across Australia’s most decentralised mainland state</li>
<li>a demand for local infrastructure</li>
<li>a preference for political pragmatism (“common sense” solutions to complex problems)</li>
<li>a Queensland chauvinism that encourages locals to feel superior to other Australians.<br></li>
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<p>In a decentralised state overwhelmingly dependent on primary industries, where <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/ajph.12760">regional voters</a> boast significantly higher rates of Christian identity and lower rates of higher education and multiculturalism, it’s perhaps unsurprising regional Queensland has long been shaped by frontier politics. </p>
<p>And any regional MP hoping to maintain electoral support must pander at least to some of these elements.</p>
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<img alt="MP Bob Katter and senator Pauline Hanson." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/417347/original/file-20210823-27-15koogs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/417347/original/file-20210823-27-15koogs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/417347/original/file-20210823-27-15koogs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/417347/original/file-20210823-27-15koogs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/417347/original/file-20210823-27-15koogs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/417347/original/file-20210823-27-15koogs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/417347/original/file-20210823-27-15koogs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Bob Katter and Pauline Hanson are two more examples of ‘maverick’ MPs who hail from Queensland.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Lukas Coch/AAP</span></span>
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<p>Christensen, for example, has previously called for a ban on the burqa and Muslim immigration from “radicalised” countries. In 2016, he floated the return of the death penalty. In 2014, the MP labelled environmentalists “terrorists” and, in a statement he <a href="https://www.sbs.com.au/topics/life/feature/george-controversies-australian-government-mp">later regretted</a>, described the “Safe Schools” program as paedophile “grooming”. </p>
<p>Yet Christensen also supported a banking royal commission when his Coalition colleagues would not. And while his pandemic libertarianism – rooted in Donald Trump’s Republicanism – is a new development on the Australian hard right, it’s hardly surprising it finds a ready audience among regional Queenslanders, already suspicious of capital city power. </p>
<h2>Christensen’s success</h2>
<p>The formula appears to work. The seat of Dawson, based on sugar farming districts surrounding Mackay, has been in Country/ National/Liberal-National party hands for all but 12 of its 72-year history. But over the past decade, Christensen has turned a thin after-preference margin of 2.4% into a safe 14.6% buffer.</p>
<p>However, the Christensen style has come at a cost. In sating the appetite of local voters, the MP has inevitably angered metropolitan colleagues and, therefore, blocked any chance of promotion. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce and MP George Christensen." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/417346/original/file-20210823-15-1c9c9o2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/417346/original/file-20210823-15-1c9c9o2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=389&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/417346/original/file-20210823-15-1c9c9o2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=389&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/417346/original/file-20210823-15-1c9c9o2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=389&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/417346/original/file-20210823-15-1c9c9o2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=489&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/417346/original/file-20210823-15-1c9c9o2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=489&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/417346/original/file-20210823-15-1c9c9o2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=489&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce (pictured in 2016) argues it is better not to provoke Christensen.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Mick Tsikas/AAP</span></span>
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</figure>
<p>Interestingly, returned Nationals’ leader Barnaby Joyce, himself something of a maverick, refuses to rebuke his MP — Joyce insists it’s worse than useless to “prod the [Christensen] bear”. Given the Morrison government’s razor-thin majority, an unwanted by election could plunge the Coalition into crisis.</p>
<p>In April, Christensen stunned observers when he <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-04-28/mp-george-christensen-retires-to-focus-more-on-family-life/100100760">announced his retirement</a> at the next federal election. On Sunday, Whitsunday Regional Council Mayor Andrew Willcox was <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-08-29/andrew-willcox-named-george-christensen-lnp-replacement-dawson/100416174">preselected</a> as the Liberal National Party’s candidate for Dawson. Coal miner <a href="https://7news.com.au/politics/federal-politics/labor-announces-miner-as-dawson-candidate-c-2752054">Shane Hamilton</a> will contest the election for Labor.</p>
<p>Christensen’s successor won’t have to mirror him to hold the seat, but engaging in at least some of his populist behaviour will go far in building support over the longer term. </p>
<p>In choosing the timing of his own departure from a safe seat at age just 43, it seems Christensen remains a maverick to the very end. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/right-out-there-how-the-pandemic-has-given-rise-to-extreme-views-and-fractured-conservative-politics-165448">Right out there: how the pandemic has given rise to extreme views and fractured conservative politics</a>
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<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/166190/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Dr Paul Williams is an associate of the T.J. Ryan Foundation.</span></em></p>Mavericks have existed since the earliest days of Australian politics. And they find a natural home in Queensland.Paul Williams, Senior Lecturer, School of Humanities, Griffith UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1660942021-08-13T01:57:49Z2021-08-13T01:57:49ZVIDEO: Michelle Grattan on mandatory vaccination and the IPCC report<p>Michelle Grattan discusses the week in politics with University of Canberra Associate Professor Caroline Fisher.</p>
<p>This week the pair discuss provisional approval of the Moderna vaccine, as well as the wider question of vaccine hesitancy - especially in light of George Christensen’s controversial speech before Question Time on Tuesday.</p>
<p>They also discuss the government’s response to the grim report out of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which has called for immediate action to combat global warming.</p>
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<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/sO4lqkstdwM?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/166094/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Michelle Grattan does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>University of Canberra Professorial Fellow Michelle Grattan and University of Canberra Associate Professor Caroline Fisher discuss the week in politics.Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of CanberraLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1659042021-08-10T10:33:18Z2021-08-10T10:33:18ZPodcast with Michelle Grattan: A reprimand for Christensen and Morrison on climate<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/415429/original/file-20210810-13-nitot9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C3982%2C1988&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption"></span> </figcaption></figure><p>As well as her interviews with politicians and experts, Politics with Michelle Grattan now includes “Word from The Hill”, where she discusses the news with members of The Conversation politics team.</p>
<p>In this episode, politics + society editor Amanda Dunn and Michelle discuss the House of Representatives’ slapdown of controversial Nationals MP George Christensen after his attack on COVID-19 lockdowns and mask-wearing.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/view-from-the-hill-barnaby-joyce-repudiates-christensens-covid-misinformation-165889">View from The Hill: Barnaby Joyce repudiates Christensen's COVID misinformation</a>
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<p>They also canvass Scott Morrison’s initial response to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/with-the-release-of-a-terrifying-ipcc-report-australia-must-face-its-wilful-political-blindness-on-climate-165868">With the release of a terrifying IPCC report, Australia must face its wilful political blindness on climate</a>
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<p><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/politics-with-michelle-grattan/id703425900?mt=2"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/233721/original/file-20180827-75984-1gfuvlr.png" alt="Listen on Apple Podcasts" width="268" height="68"></a> <a href="https://www.google.com/podcasts?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly90aGVjb252ZXJzYXRpb24uY29tL2F1L3BvZGNhc3RzL3BvbGl0aWNzLXdpdGgtbWljaGVsbGUtZ3JhdHRhbi5yc3M"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/233720/original/file-20180827-75978-3mdxcf.png" alt="" width="268" height="68"></a></p>
<p><a href="https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/the-conversation-4/politics-with-michelle-grattan"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/233716/original/file-20180827-75981-pdp50i.png" alt="Stitcher" width="300" height="88"></a> <a href="https://tunein.com/podcasts/News--Politics-Podcasts/Politics-with-Michelle-Grattan-p227852/"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/233723/original/file-20180827-75984-f0y2gb.png" alt="Listen on TuneIn" width="318" height="125"></a></p>
<p><a href="https://radiopublic.com/politics-with-michelle-grattan-WRElBZ"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-152" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/233717/original/file-20180827-75990-86y5tg.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=268&fit=clip" alt="Listen on RadioPublic" width="268" height="87"></a> <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/5NkaSQoUERalaLBQAqUOcC"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/237984/original/file-20180925-149976-1ks72uy.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=268&fit=clip" width="268" height="82"></a> </p>
<h2>Additional audio</h2>
<p><a href="https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Blue_Dot_Sessions/Azalai/Gaena">Gaena</a>, Blue Dot Sessions, from Free Music Archive.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/165904/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Michelle Grattan does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Michelle Grattan discusses politics with politics + society editor, Amanda DunnMichelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of CanberraLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1658892021-08-10T08:24:06Z2021-08-10T08:24:06ZView from The Hill: Barnaby Joyce repudiates Christensen’s COVID misinformation<p>Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce has dissociated himself from the views of his maverick backbencher George Christensen, who on Tuesday flatly rejected measures to contain COVID and played down the seriousness of the disease.</p>
<p>“I don’t agree with him,” Joyce said. “Just because someone has a view, it doesn’t mean it’s my view.” Joyce is personally close to Christensen.</p>
<p>Joyce drew on the experience of his father, who he said had been very involved in the eradication of brucellosis and bovine tuberculosis in northern NSW.</p>
<p>This had been done by large scale vaccination, quarantine, prosecution of people who did not comply with measures, and explanation, Joyce told The Conversation.</p>
<p>“I’m not going to step away from growing up having to deal with those things at an agricultural level. This is how you deal with diseases,” he said.</p>
<p>In a speech delivered just before question time, Christensen asked rhetorically, “How many more freedoms will we lose due to fear of a virus, which is a survivability rate of 997 out of a 1000?”</p>
<p>He said masks didn’t work and lockdowns didn’t work.</p>
<p>“Domestic vaccine passports are a form of discrimination,” he said. </p>
<p>“Nobody should be restricted from everyday life because of their medical choices, especially when vaccinated people can still catch and spread COVID-19.”</p>
<p>“Our posturing politicians, many over there [on the Labor benches], the sensationalist media elite and the dictatorial medical bureaucrats need to recognise these facts and stop spreading fear.</p>
<p>"COVID-19 is going to be with us forever, just like the flu and just like the flu, we will have to live with it, not in constant fear of it. Some people will catch it. Some people will tragically die from it.</p>
<p>"That’s inevitable and we have to accept it. What we should never accept is a systematic removal of our freedoms based on a zero risk health advice from a bunch of unelected medical bureaucrats. Open society back up. Restore our freedoms. End this madness.”</p>
<p>During question time Anthony Albanese, in a neat tactical strike, moved a motion calling on all MPs to “refrain from making ill-informed comments at a time when the pandemic represents a serious threat to the health of Australians”.</p>
<p>The motion also condemned “the comments of the member for Dawson prior to Question Time designed to use our national parliament to spread misinformation and undermine the actions of Australians to defeat COVID”.</p>
<p>Albanese suggested Christensen was able to wag “the National party dog” because Joyce was “quite happy” to let him.</p>
<p>Morrison was in an awkward corner. The government’s usual instinct would be to move to shut Albanese down. But that would have it effectively backing Christensen.</p>
<p>By the same token Morrison did not want to risk giving Christensen the big whack he deserved.</p>
<p>Christensen is a man who enjoys making threats, even if he doesn’t carry them out, and he is not running at the election so has nothing to lose. If he “walked” to the crossbench the government would lose its one seat majority. It has already lost its majority on the floor of the House – when Craig Kelly, another recalcitrant on matters-COVID, defected from the Liberals to the crossbench. .</p>
<p>So the government let the Albanese motion proceed and in his reply to the opposition leader, the PM waved just the smallest of reproving feathers in Christensen’s direction.</p>
<p>After going through what had been done in the pandemic, Morrison said the government “will not support those statements, Mr Speaker, where there is misinformation that is out and about in the community, whether it’s posted, Mr Speaker, on Facebook, or it’s posted in social media, or it’s written in articles or made [in] statements. Whether in this chamber, Mr Speaker, or anywhere else.”</p>
<p>But he wasn’t going to “engage in a partisan debate on this. I am not, Mr Speaker, because what I know is Australians aren’t interested in the politics of COVID.”</p>
<p>Queensland Liberal Warren Entsch wasn’t reluctant to go in hard against Christensen. He told the ABC: “That is the sort of nonsense that I see in protests outside my office from time to time for those with conspiracy theories”. In the parliament “it was resoundingly rejected right across the whole political spectrum – when the motion was put up it was supported, there was not a single dissenter”.</p>
<p>Federal Communications Minister Paul Fletcher repeatedly refused to be drawn when pressed on the ABC on Christensen’s views. But NSW Environment Minister Matt Kean didn’t hold back, saying on the ABC that Christensen “is as qualified to talk about health policy as he is to perform brain surgery”. </p>
<p>Joyce wasn’t in the parliament – he went home at the end of last week and now, with COVID in his electorate of New England, he is confined there.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/165889/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Michelle Grattan does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce has dissociated himself from the views of his maverick backbencher George Christensen, writes Michelle GrattanMichelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of CanberraLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1596332021-04-23T04:20:50Z2021-04-23T04:20:50ZVIDEO: Michelle Grattan on Biden’s climate change summit, Australia’s climate policy, and George Christensen<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/396705/original/file-20210423-17-1q11dk0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C14%2C4786%2C3166&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://photos.aap.com.au/">Mick Tsikas/AAP</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Michelle Grattan discusses the week in politics with University of Canberra Associate Professor Caroline Fisher.</p>
<p>This week the pair discuss some of the developments in the Biden climate summit, which commenced Thursday night. They also discuss the federal government’s “tearing up” of Victoria’s belt and road agreement with China, the latest in the vaccine rollout, and the announcement that controversial LNP backbencher George Christensen will not be contesting his seat at the next election.</p>
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</figure><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/159633/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Michelle Grattan does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>University of Canberra Professorial Fellow Michelle Grattan and University of Canberra Associate Professor Caroline Fisher discuss the week in politics.Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of CanberraLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1532892021-01-17T19:02:53Z2021-01-17T19:02:53ZAs Trump exits the White House, he leaves Trumpism behind in Australia<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/378971/original/file-20210115-20-43r4fx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Mick Tsikas/AAP</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Through recent natural disasters, global upheavals and a pandemic, Australia’s political centre has largely held. </p>
<p>Australians may have disagreed at times, but they have also kept faith with governmental norms, eschewing the false allure of populism beguiling voters elsewhere.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/is-it-curtains-for-clive-what-covid-means-for-populism-in-australia-153101">Is it curtains for Clive? What COVID means for populism in Australia </a>
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<p>Our federal and state governments enjoy broad public confidence and draw their core legitimacy from the middle ground, whether it be centre-left or centre-right.</p>
<p>But if Australians followed the 2020 presidential race in the United States with greater-than-usual interest, it was because when boiled down, it presaged a plausible descent for Australia’s politics, too.</p>
<h2>Two very different futures</h2>
<p>Last November’s poll offered a choice between two fundamentally different futures for the US. </p>
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<img alt="Pro-Trump protesters at the US Capitol in January 2021." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/378984/original/file-20210115-19-1pfzaoy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/378984/original/file-20210115-19-1pfzaoy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/378984/original/file-20210115-19-1pfzaoy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/378984/original/file-20210115-19-1pfzaoy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/378984/original/file-20210115-19-1pfzaoy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/378984/original/file-20210115-19-1pfzaoy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/378984/original/file-20210115-19-1pfzaoy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">The recent US election showed a deeply divided United States.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Michael Reynolds/AAP</span></span>
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<p>On the one hand, there was an assumption that free and fair elections, the rule of law and concepts such as pluralism and civility are central to government and society. </p>
<p>On the other, there was an angry, polarising disintegration, in which rules can be broken, facts undermined, critics abused and the usual accountability mechanisms silenced.</p>
<p>As a partner democracy with deep cultural, economic, and strategic ties with the US, Australians lapped up the theatre of the Trump versus Biden contest. But many also worried the verdict of America’s 150 million-plus voters would have material implications down under.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/delighting-in-causing-complete-chaos-whats-behind-trump-supporters-brazen-storming-of-the-capitol-152808">'Delighting in causing complete chaos': what's behind Trump supporters' brazen storming of the Capitol</a>
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<p>Strategically, these implications included a continuation of the US <a href="https://theconversation.com/biden-will-place-asia-back-at-the-centre-of-foreign-policy-but-will-his-old-school-diplomacy-still-work-148095">global retreat</a>, which had already seen China moving to fill the leadership void.</p>
<p>Domestically, it might involve the insidious adoption of Trumpist methodology within Australia’s political right.</p>
<h2>Trumpist approach already here</h2>
<p>Manifestations of the latter are already advanced in sections of our <a href="https://theconversation.com/paper-chase-why-kevin-rudds-call-for-a-royal-commission-into-news-corp-may-lead-nowhere-147996">news media</a>, and the willingness of political leaders to bluster through mistakes and exposed wrongdoings, refusing to apologise, explain or resign.</p>
<p>This is a key take-out of the Trump approach: notions of honour and tradition, long relied upon to protect probity and avoid conflicts of interest, can be ignored. Those seeking transparency or who uncover maladministration can be depicted as political opponents or extremists, motivated by hatred and prejudice. </p>
<p>For the Westminster tradition, where confidence rests on protections only ever partly codified, the dangers are existential.</p>
<h2>What mistakes?</h2>
<p>Evidence of this deterioration can be seen in the marked tendency of governments to stare down calls for resignation, ignore significant public disquiet, and press on. </p>
<p>In 2020, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian admitted an intimate association dating back years with a disgraced former MP who, it turned out, had been arranging property deals for commission, even as a backbencher. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/378979/original/file-20210115-20-9vxrty.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/378979/original/file-20210115-20-9vxrty.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/378979/original/file-20210115-20-9vxrty.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/378979/original/file-20210115-20-9vxrty.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/378979/original/file-20210115-20-9vxrty.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/378979/original/file-20210115-20-9vxrty.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/378979/original/file-20210115-20-9vxrty.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian refused to quit during the scandal over her relationship with former MP Daryl Maguire.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Dan Himbrechts/AAP</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Berejiklian’s <a href="https://theconversation.com/gladys-berejiklian-determined-to-tough-out-scandal-of-secret-relationship-with-disgraced-former-mp-147917">defence</a> amounted to a blunt “I’ve done nothing wrong”.</p>
<p>The origin of <a href="https://theconversation.com/scott-morrison-stands-by-energy-minister-angus-taylor-who-faces-police-probe-127818">forged documents</a>, released by federal Energy Minister Angus Taylor to defame the Sydney City Council, has never been properly explained. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-can-politicians-so-easily-dodge-accountability-for-their-mistakes-the-troubling-answer-because-they-can-150839">Why can politicians so easily dodge accountability for their mistakes? The troubling answer: because they can</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Explosive revelations of political interference in a <a href="https://theconversation.com/gaetjens-criticises-mckenzies-handling-of-grants-decisions-but-defends-his-finding-funding-wasnt-politically-biased-131838">A$100 million federal sports grants program</a> have never been conceded (although, Berejiklian <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/nov/26/berejiklian-admits-140m-grant-scheme-was-pork-barrelling-as-approval-documents-revealed">recently admitted</a> “political” allocation is standard practice when forced to explain similar outrages in a state program).</p>
<p>There is also the A$30 million <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/oct/26/treasury-boss-surprised-and-concerned-by-30m-western-sydney-airport-land-sale">Leppington Triangle land purchase</a> which benefited a political donor, but brought no resignation. And the <a href="https://theconversation.com/robodebt-was-a-policy-fiasco-with-a-human-cost-we-have-yet-to-fully-appreciate-150169">Robodebt debacle</a>, which caused massive community suffering and cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars, but cost nobody their job.</p>
<p>Contrast this with the response in The Netherlands where the entire cabinet, including Prime Minister Mark Rutte, <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/world/europe/the-buck-stops-here-dutch-pm-cabinet-resign-over-welfare-debt-scandal-20210116-p56ula.html">resigned on Friday</a>. This was over a scandal involving child welfare payments, which had led to parents erroneously being labelled fraudsters. </p>
<p>As Rutte explained,</p>
<blockquote>
<p>We are of one mind that if the whole system has failed, we all must take responsibility, and that has led to the conclusion that I have just offered the king, the resignation of the entire cabinet.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The two scandals are remarkably similar in nature, and in the scale of the taxpayer-funded recompense, but could scarcely be more different in the level of political responsibility taken.</p>
<h2>It used to be very different</h2>
<p>Previously, ministers have resigned over comparatively technical breaches. This includes the unwitting importation of a Paddington teddy bear in the 1984 case of Labor’s <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2010-02-17/yes-minister-no-minister-sacked-minister/334722">Mick Young</a> – the bear, which would have attracted an import duty measured in cents, was actually in his wife’s luggage.</p>
<p>A Berejiklian predecessor, Barry O’Farrell, <a href="https://theconversation.com/barry-ofarrell-quits-as-nsw-premier-over-icac-memory-fail-25700">quit in 2014</a> after advising the Independent Commission Against Corruption he had no recollection of receiving a single – albeit valuable – bottle of wine. Announcing his resignation, he said, </p>
<blockquote>
<p>I do accept there is a thank you note signed by me, and as someone who believes in accountability, in responsibility, I accept the consequences of my action.</p>
</blockquote>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Former NSW premier Barry O'Farrell in the back seat of a car." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/378982/original/file-20210115-23-lu0fch.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/378982/original/file-20210115-23-lu0fch.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=412&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/378982/original/file-20210115-23-lu0fch.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=412&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/378982/original/file-20210115-23-lu0fch.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=412&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/378982/original/file-20210115-23-lu0fch.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=518&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/378982/original/file-20210115-23-lu0fch.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=518&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/378982/original/file-20210115-23-lu0fch.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=518&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Former NSW premier Barry O'Farrell resigned after a ‘massive memory fail’ about a bottle of Grange.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Dan Himbrechts/AAP</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The army minister Andrew Peacock <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-02-08/lady-susan-renouf-reflects-on-controversial-advertisement/6077806">offered to resign in 1970</a> after his wife appeared in an advertisement for Sheridan sheets. A few years later, two Fraser government ministers <a href="http://press-files.anu.edu.au/downloads/press/p191121/pdf/ch072.pdf">fell on their swords</a> over a colour TV carried into the country but declared as black-and-white on a customs form.</p>
<h2>The threshold has changed</h2>
<p>The mere appearance of wrongdoing used to be enough to raise public confidence problems and thus end a ministerial career. Now, even the substance of dishonesty, non-disclosure or incompetence avoids meaningful sanction.</p>
<p>The right-wing extremism that informs Trump’s base has become all pervasive. It has certainly captured the Republican party – <a href="https://theconversation.com/biden-will-place-asia-back-at-the-centre-of-foreign-policy-but-will-his-old-school-diplomacy-still-work-148095">only ten</a> of whose House members voted to impeach the outgoing President – despite the president’s sworn commitment to:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The facts show President Trump entreated supporters to <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-were-the-capitol-rioters-so-angry-because-theyre-scared-of-losing-grip-on-their-perverse-idea-of-democracy-152812">storm the Congress</a>, in an attempt to stop the lawful certification of his replacement.</p>
<p>It was a mark of Trumpian reach into Australian political culture that neither that outrage, nor his wilful mishandling of the coronavirus, has brought clear condemnation from the <a href="https://www.sbs.com.au/news/scott-morrison-faces-backlash-for-mealy-mouthed-response-in-aftermath-of-washington-insurrection">Morrison government</a>.</p>
<h2>Extreme becomes mainstream</h2>
<p>Another trait of Trumpism is the tacit legitimisation of an extreme right-wing discourse of grievance, white supremacy, and anti-establishment conspiracy theory.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-the-alt-right-believes-another-american-revolution-is-coming-153093">Why the alt-right believes another American Revolution is coming</a>
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</em>
</p>
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<p>Despite clear mainstream costs, senior Morrison ministers have pointedly <a href="https://www.news.com.au/national/politics/malcolm-turnbull-slams-scott-morrison-for-failing-to-take-tough-line-with-mps/news-story/26688eebb37cf4f77b3d38ad0cd1823c">refused to contradict</a> or discipline their own MPs (<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/commentisfree/2021/jan/15/indulging-craig-kelly-misinformation-is-a-threat-to-australias-health-politically-as-well-as-literally">Craig Kelly</a> and <a href="https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/2021/01/10/trump-twitter-ban-christensen-facebook-australia/">George Chrsistensen</a>) spreading incorrect and potentially dangerous Trumpist dogma surrounding US electoral fraud, Black Lives Matter, COVID-19 treatments, and claims of left-wing agent provocateurs in the Capitol insurrection. </p>
<p>Drawing a typically Trumpist equivalence, acting Prime Minister Michael McCormack referenced last year’s Black Lives Matter rallies – which he derisively termed “<a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-01-12/michael-mccormack-criticised-comparing-blm-protests-capitol-riot/13049322">race riots</a>” — to play down the Capitol siege while also trotting out offensive lines such as “all lives matter”.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-is-it-so-offensive-to-say-all-lives-matter-153188">Why is it so offensive to say 'all lives matter'?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Faced with a backlash, McCormack decried those “confecting outrage” as “bleeding hearts”.</p>
<p>It suggests the calculation already being made by ministers is that nourishing an extremist culture of resentment and anger is more useful to a centre-right government than courting the political middle ground.</p>
<p>America has already been down this path, and we know where it leads.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/153289/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Mark Kenny does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>There is evidence Trumpist methodology has already been adopted by Australia’s political right.Mark Kenny, Professor, Australian Studies Institute, Australian National UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1240762019-09-24T20:14:18Z2019-09-24T20:14:18ZReal problem, wrong solution: why the Nationals shouldn’t politicise the science replication crisis<p>The <a href="https://campusmorningmail.com.au/news/national-party-wants-independent-agency-to-vet-research/">National Party</a>, Queensland farming lobby group <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/7.30/farmers-fight-tough-new-rules-to-protect-the-great/11526168">AgForce</a>, and MP <a href="https://www.bobkatter.com.au/media/media-releases/view/1029/katter-demands-govt-audit-reef-quality-science-/media-releases">Bob Katter</a> have banded together to propose an “independent science quality assurance agency”.</p>
<p>To justify their position, Liberal-National MP George Christensen and AgForce’s Michael Guerin specifically invoked the “replication crisis” in science, in which researchers in various fields have found it difficult or impossible to reproduce and validate original research findings. Their proposal, however, is not a good solution to the problem. </p>
<p>The more important context is that these politicians and lobbyists are opposed to <a href="https://www.qld.gov.au/environment/agriculture/sustainable-farming/reef/reef-regulations/strengthening-regulations">new laws</a> to curb agricultural runoff onto the Great Barrier Reef that are underpinned by research finding evidence of <a href="https://theconversation.com/cloudy-issue-we-need-to-fix-the-barrier-reefs-murky-waters-39380">harm from poor water quality</a>. Christensen <a href="https://www.facebook.com/gchristensenmp/photos/a.769408183114112/2334140303307551/?type=3&theater">suggests</a> that many scientific papers behind such regulation “have never been tested and their conclusions may be wrong”. But Christensen seems to be targeting specific results he doesn’t like, rather than trying to improve scientific practice in a systematic way.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/science-is-in-a-reproducibility-crisis-how-do-we-resolve-it-16998">Science is in a reproducibility crisis – how do we resolve it?</a>
</strong>
</em>
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<p>In various scientific areas, including psychology and preclinical medicine, <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-06075-z">large-scale replication projects</a> have failed to reproduce the findings of many original studies. The rates of success differ between fields, but on average only <a href="https://cos.io/about/news/28-classic-and-contemporary-psychology-findings-replicated-more-60-laboratories-each-across-three-dozen-nations-and-territories/">half</a> <a href="https://www.castoredc.com/blog/replication-crisis-medical-research">or</a> <a href="https://www.nature.com/news/over-half-of-psychology-studies-fail-reproducibility-test-1.18248">fewer</a> of published studies were successfully replicated. Clearly there is a problem.</p>
<p>Much of the problem is due to hyper-competitiveness in science, funding shortfalls, publication practices, and the use of performance metrics that privilege quantity over quality. </p>
<p>Scientists themselves have <a href="https://theconversation.com/there-is-a-problem-australias-top-scientist-alan-finkel-pushes-to-eradicate-bad-science-123374">documented the poor practices</a> that underlie this crisis, such as the <a href="https://theconversation.com/our-survey-found-questionable-research-practices-by-ecologists-and-biologists-heres-what-that-means-94421">misuse of statistics</a>, often unwittingly, in ways that bias findings towards attention-grabbing conclusions. These practices distort the evidence available to policy-makers and other researchers. </p>
<p>Scientists have also already produced responses to some problems: <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-02674-6">reforms in peer review</a>, <a href="https://cos.io/top/">guidelines for methods and statistical reporting</a>, and <a href="https://osf.io/dashboard">new platforms for data sharing</a>. These improvements are possible only by taking the replication crisis seriously. Paying lip service to it so as to attack particular legislation is the opposite of this.</p>
<h2>Making decisions under uncertainty</h2>
<p>Establishing an agency with a mission to adjudicate on hand-picked scientific results would make things worse. </p>
<p>At best, such an agency will be one more review panel. At worst, it will be a bureaucratic front for the political agenda of the day. Either way, it will make scientists even more cautious, and delay the flow of information to policy-makers.</p>
<p>The track records of the lobbyists involved in this latest move suggests that they have little genuine interest in improving science. AgForce reportedly <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/may/02/agforce-deletes-decades-worth-of-data-from-government-funded-barrier-reef-program">deleted more than a decade’s worth of data meant for a government water quality program</a> in advance of the new runoff regulations taking effect.</p>
<p>Exploiting scientific uncertainty has long been a classic tactic of industry lobbyists. It has been used to justify inaction on everything from <a href="https://www.merchantsofdoubt.org/">tobacco</a> to <a href="https://www.thegwpf.com/donna-laframboise-peer-review-why-skepticism-is-essential/">climate change</a>. Local politicians and lobby groups seem to be copying moves from a well-worn overseas playbook in their misuse of the replication crisis.</p>
<p>Scientists can never make pronouncements with the certainty of a politician. But if, as a society, we want to benefit fully from science, we need to accept the idea of scientific uncertainty. The existence of uncertainties does not justify rejection of the best available evidence.</p>
<h2>To defend science we need to improve it</h2>
<p>It is tempting to respond to politically motivated attacks on science by simply pointing to the excellent track record of scientific knowledge, or the good intentions of the vast majority of scientists. </p>
<p>But there is a better reason: scientists themselves have been improving science. As advocates of reform, we have been told that pointing out problems helps the anti-science movement. We disagree: being open about our work to improve science is essential for building public trust.</p>
<p>Science is something that humans do. It is self-correcting when, and only when, scientists <a href="https://twitter.com/jamesheathers/status/845696144999137280">correct it</a>. Research is hard work, and we can’t expect scientists never to make errors or to provide complete certainty. But we can expect scientists to create a culture that values detecting and correcting errors.</p>
<p>Admitting errors in one’s own work, finding them in others’ work, reporting them, retracting results when necessary, and correcting the record are activities that should be the most highly regarded of scientific practices. We need to shift the balance of rewards away from rewarding only groundbreaking discoveries, and towards the painstaking work of confirmation.</p>
<p>A cultural shift in this regard is already underway, to better align <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/bigideas/sharing-science-%E2%80%93-for-the-good-of-all/11330816">scientific practices with scientific values</a>. But there is more to be done, and governments can help.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/scientific-data-should-be-shared-an-open-letter-to-the-arc-9458">Scientific data should be shared: an open letter to the ARC</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>There are sensible policies to support the open science initiatives that will reduce error production and increase error detection in scientific work. Different fields need different approaches, but here are two ideas.</p>
<p>First, improve funding allocation procedures. Reward self-correcting activities such as replication studies. Don’t require every piece of funded research to be groundbreaking. Don’t rely on flawed metrics. Enforce best-practice data management and open data practices whenever feasible. This can all be done without establishing an inefficient agency whose likely effect is to delay action.</p>
<p>Second, <a href="https://theconversation.com/from-fraud-to-fair-play-australia-must-support-research-integrity-15733">establish a national independent office of research integrity</a> to allow errors in the scientific literature, whether deliberate or accidental, to be corrected in a fair, efficient, and systematic way. Unlike the politicians’ proposal, this would improve the process for all researchers, not just act as a handbrake on research findings that lobbyists don’t like.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/124076/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Martin Bush receives funding from DARPA (US Defense) for a project under the SCORE program, about predicting the likelihood of replication of published studies in social science.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Alex O. Holcombe has received funding from the Australian Research Council. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Bonnie Wintle receives funding from a University of Melbourne Research Fellowship (Career Interruptions). She also receives funding from DARPA (US Defense) for a project under the SCORE program, about predicting the likelihood of replication of published studies in social science. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Fiona Fidler receives funding from the ARC, including a current Future Fellowship about replicability and reproducibility in ecology and environmental science. She also has funding from DARPA (US Defense) for a project under the SCORE program, about predicting the likelihood of replication of published studies in social science.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Simine Vazire receives funding from the National Science Foundation (USA) and the Templeton Foundation. </span></em></p>Across science, only around half of published results can be successfully replicated. But while this is a serious problem, the proposed public audit looks like a political bid to cast doubt on science.Martin Bush, Research Fellow in History and Philosophy of Science, The University of MelbourneAlex O. Holcombe, Professor, School of Psychology, University of SydneyBonnie Claire Wintle, Research fellow, The University of MelbourneFiona Fidler, Associate Professor, School of Historical and Philosophical Studies, The University of MelbourneSimine Vazire, Professor, University of California, DavisLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/885342017-12-02T11:27:39Z2017-12-02T11:27:39ZBarnaby Joyce storms home in New England byelection victory<p>Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce has been returned to parliament with a big swing toward him in his New South Wales seat of New England.</p>
<p>With around half the vote counted, Joyce had won a swing on primary votes of about 11%, polling about 63% compared with 52% at the 2016 election.</p>
<p>A delighted Malcolm Turnbull, appearing at the Tamworth victory celebration with Joyce, told the crowd it appeared to be “the largest swing to the government in the history of byelections in Australia”.</p>
<p>Turnbull said it been a “stunning victory” and he would relish “getting the band back together”.</p>
<p>Surrounded by his parliamentary team, Joyce said it was a massive win for the Nationals.</p>
<p>He also paid tribute to the embattled Turnbull, saying running a country was a little bit harder than running sheep through a gate – and “you need someone with the skillset of this fellow here”.</p>
<p>The vote follows a week in which rebel Nationals forced the government to launch a royal commission into the banks. On Friday the NSW Nationals’ leader and deputy premier, John Barilaro, launched an extraordinary attack on Turnbull, saying he should quit by Christmas.</p>
<p>The byelection campaign was dirty at times, with persistent chatter about Joyce’s personal life. It was forced by the High Court ruling Joyce ineligible to sit in parliament because he was a dual New Zealand citizen via his father.</p>
<p>The result shows voters did not blame Joyce for his failure to do the proper checks, instead extending something of a sympathy vote to him.</p>
<p>Joyce had always been expected to be comfortably returned but the swing is a morale booster for the Nationals in particular and the government generally. Joyce’s return to parliament and the role of deputy prime minister will bring the government’s numbers in the lower house to 75.</p>
<p>But for Turnbull, the test will be in Bennelong at the December 16 byelection, where John Alexander, who resigned in the dual citizenship crisis, faces a tough battle to hold the seat against Labor’s Kristina Keneally.</p>
<p>The Nationals’ federal president Larry Anthony told the Saturday night celebration: “This is the reset, but not just for the National Party … but for the government”.</p>
<p>It remains to be seen whether the result will embolden the Nationals to further differentiate their brand over coming months.</p>
<p>This could in part depend on how Bennelong goes, as well as whether the opinion polls remain strongly against the government. If so, the Nationals’ vote at the next election may be best maximised by running their own race.</p>
<p>In an interview with Sky, Joyce acknowledged there were some issues in the Coalition that needed to be “ironed out” and “we are doing that”.</p>
<p>Joyce has picked up a sizeable portion of the 29% of the vote that went at the 2016 election to Tony Windsor, the former independent who held the seat previously. In the field of 17 candidates, Labor, on a vote of around 11%, has achieved only a minor swing of about 4%.</p>
<p>The ALP put little effort into the seat, with Bill Shorten never appearing in the campaign. Turnbull ridiculed the Labor performance, saying its vote was comfortably ahead of the informal vote.</p>
<p>Rebel Nationals backbencher George Christensen, whose possible defection had been a matter of speculation, confirmed to Joyce by text that he would be staying in the party.</p>
<p>In a social media post on Saturday, Christensen said that since the banking royal commission was announced on Thursday, he had reconsidered what could be achieved within the framework of government.</p>
<p>He had also had discussions with local mayors and community leaders, local LNP members and party elders, and Nationals colleagues.</p>
<p>“The consensus is that the Nationals need to be a stronger force within the government for both conservative values and country Australia and that people like me need to remain in the Nationals and government to ensure that happens,” he wrote.</p>
<p>“I am assured that, with Barnaby Joyce set to be returned to Canberra by the good people of New England today, we will have a more assertive and independently minded National Party with a reinvigorated leader at the helm.</p>
<p>"That’s good news for the people of Australia and should point the government in a new direction. That’s why, despite serious earlier misgivings, I will remain completely with the Nationals and, ultimately, with the government.”</p>
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<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Michelle Grattan does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce has been returned to parliament with a big swing toward him in his New South Wales seat of New England.Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of CanberraLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/881832017-11-27T11:29:16Z2017-11-27T11:29:16ZTurnbull backed against the wall by rebel Nationals on bank inquiry<p>Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Treasurer Scott Morrison appear to have become hostages to rebel Nationals determined at all costs to secure a commission of inquiry into the banks.</p>
<p>On Monday a second federal National, Llew O'Brien, from Queensland flagged he is likely to cross the floor in the House of Representatives to support the private member’s bill sponsored by Queensland Nationals senator Barry O'Sullivan to set up a commission of inquiry that would investigate a broad range of financial institutions.</p>
<p>O'Brien, who has inserted an extra term of reference to protect people with mental health issues from discrimination, said “I like what I see” in the proposed bill. But he added that he would respect his party’s process. The bill is due to go to the Nationals’ partyroom on Monday.</p>
<p>The bill, which has the numbers to get through the Senate, is supported in the lower house by Queensland MP George Christensen, who after Saturday’s Queensland election <a href="https://twitter.com/GChristensenMP/status/934570187822587904">apologised to One Nation voters</a> for “we in the LNP” letting them down.</p>
<p>Backed by Christensen and O'Brien, together with Labor and crossbenchers, the bill would have the required 76 votes to enable its consideration by the lower house – although when it can get to be debated there is not clear.</p>
<p>In a discussion last week – <a href="https://theconversation.com/grattan-on-friday-discovery-of-the-cabinet-leaker-would-present-bigger-problem-than-the-leak-88030">later leaked</a> – cabinet considered whether the government should adopt a pragmatic position and give in to calls for a royal commission. But Turnbull and Morrison have refused to do so.</p>
<p>Now the cabinet looks like it will have to decide whether to own the process of an inquiry or have it forced on it.</p>
<p>If Monday’s Nationals’ party meeting endorsed the bill, that would escalate the situation dangerously for the government, unless it had softened its opposition to an inquiry. It would amount to the minor Coalition partner formally rejecting a government position.</p>
<p>Cabinet would have to back down, or find some other way through.</p>
<p>As the crisis over the banking probe deepens for the government, there is currently no-one with the authority or availability within the Nationals to manage the situation.</p>
<p>Barnaby Joyce remains leader but he’s absorbed in Saturday’s New England byelection, which is his path back into parliament. Senator Nigel Scullion is parliamentary leader but has little clout to curb the determined rebels.</p>
<p>With the commission push gaining momentum there is also less desire from some senior Nationals to fight it. Joyce is said to be relaxed about having a banking inquiry, which would be popular among voters and could be chalked up as a win for the Nationals.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://theconversation.com/queensland-result-while-decided-on-state-issues-adds-to-turnbulls-burdens-88135">election loss in Queensland</a> has strengthened the federal Nationals’ determination to pursue brand differentiation.</p>
<p>O'Sullivan has repeatedly referenced the example of Liberal Dean Smith’s use of a private member’s bill to pursue the cause of same-sex marriage, arguing he is following Smith’s pathway.</p>
<p>But there are still divided opinions within the parliamentary party about the bank probe. Resources Minister Matt Canavan, a member of cabinet, on Monday reaffirmed his opposition to a royal commission.</p>
<p>Joyce is likely to attend Monday’s party meeting although he will not be formally back in parliament by then.</p>
<p>Nationals are not clear whether they will elect their new deputy on Monday to replace Fiona Nash, who was <a href="https://theconversation.com/joyce-will-be-safe-in-new-england-but-the-high-court-disrupts-the-government-86496">ruled ineligible by the High Court</a> because she had been a dual British citizen when she nominated. There is some speculation that this might be delayed to give aspirants time to lobby.</p>
<p>If there is no deputy leader chosen on Monday, it would mean that the minor party would be literally leaderless on the government frontbench in the House of Representatives. Infrastructure Minister Darren Chester would be the most senior National sitting behind Turnbull in Question Time.</p>
<p>Christensen on Monday <a href="https://www.bankinquiry.com.au/">launched a website</a> with a petition seeking signatures for a banking inquiry.</p>
<p>“Misconduct is not in the ‘past’,” he says on the site. “It is not being fixed by the industry to a standard acceptable to the community. Although positive steps are being made by government reforms, gaps still exist.</p>
<p>"Enough is enough … unless the government acts to establish a royal commission, I will be acting before the end of this year to vote for a commission of inquiry into the banks.” The site also invites people “bitten by the banks” to “tell your story”.</p>
<p>A commission of inquiry differs from a royal commission in being set up by and reporting to parliament, rather than being established by and reporting to the executive.</p>
<iframe src="https://www.podbean.com/media/player/nqtdd-7bf599?from=site&skin=1&share=1&fonts=Helvetica&auto=0&download=0" height="100" width="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player"></iframe><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/88183/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Michelle Grattan does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Malcolm Turnbull and Scott Morrison appear to have become hostages to rebel Nationals determined at all costs to secure a commission of inquiry into the banks.Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of CanberraLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/856712017-10-25T03:21:45Z2017-10-25T03:21:45ZAdani’s post-truth push for the Carmichael mine<p><em>This article is part of an <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/post-truth-initiative-38606">ongoing series</a> from the <a href="https://posttruthinitiative.org/">Post-Truth Initiative</a>, a Strategic Research Excellence Initiative at the University of Sydney. The series examines today’s post-truth problem in public discourse: the thriving economy of lies, bullshit and propaganda that threatens rational discourse and policy.</em></p>
<p><em>The project brings together scholars of media and communications, government and international relations, physics, philosophy, linguistics and medicine, and is affiliated with the Sydney Social Sciences and Humanities Advanced Research Centre (<a href="http://chcinetwork.org/sydney-social-sciences-and-humanities-advanced-research-centre-sssharc">SSSHARC</a>), the <a href="http://sydney.edu.au/environment-institute/">Sydney Environment Institute</a>and the <a href="http://sydneydemocracynetwork.org/">Sydney Democracy Network</a>.</em></p>
<hr>
<p>“Post-truth”, defined as “relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief”, was the Oxford Dictionary’s <a href="https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/word-of-the-year/word-of-the-year-2016">2016 Word of the Year</a>, selected as a hallmark of the times in the US and UK. (Macquarie Dictionary chose “fake news” as its <a href="https://www.macquariedictionary.com.au/news/view/article/431/">2016 Word of the Year</a>.) </p>
<p>Yet post-truth politics and “<a href="https://beta.theglobeandmail.com/arts/word-of-the-year-truthiness/article701949/?ref=http://www.theglobeandmail.com&">truthiness</a>”, a term Stephen Colbert <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2014/dec/18/colbert-report-10-best-moments">coined in 2005</a>, are not solely British and American phenomena. “Truthiness” is rampant in Australia too. The debate about the proposed Adani Carmichael mine in central Queensland shows how truthiness has become part of Australian political discourse.</p>
<p>How can a coal mine be subject to a regime of “truthiness”? A decision to build a greenfield megamine would appear to come down to the facts, with the known harms weighed against the potential benefits. Yet we can identify three distinct traits in official discourses around the Adani mine that show truthiness at work.</p>
<h2>Appeal to emotion and ‘gut feelings’</h2>
<p>First, “truthiness” replaces a reliance on facts with appeals to emotion and a logic of “gut feelings”.</p>
<p>One of the champions of this form of logic is Tony Abbott. As prime minister, he faced criticism from environmentalists after opening a coal mine and <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/coal-is-good-for-humanity-says-tony-abbott-at-mine-opening-20141013-115bgs.html">declaring</a>: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>Coal is good for humanity, coal is good for prosperity, coal is an essential part of our economic future, here in Australia, and right around the world.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Earlier in 2014, he had <a href="http://pmtranscripts.pmc.gov.au/release/transcript-23528">said</a> that “it is our destiny in this country to bring affordable energy to the world”.</p>
<p>In addition to the feel-good narrative of coal as national saviour, politicians have argued that Australia’s coal will help the world solve environmental problems, rather than making them worse. </p>
<p>An excellent example of this reasoning comes again from the former prime minister on his visit to India in September 2014. There, echoing the Adani chief executive, Abbott <a href="http://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;adv=yes;orderBy=date-eFirst;page=0;query=Dataset%3Apressrel%20Decade%3A%222010s%22%20Year%3A%222014%22%20Month%3A%2209%22%20adani%20OtherSource_Phrase%3A%22prime%20minister%22;rec=1;re">argued</a> that the Carmichael mine could improve Indian living standards and cut carbon emissions by providing “clean coal”. </p>
<p>Using this same emotional logic, the government later <a href="http://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;query=Id%3A%22chamber%2Fhansards%2Fc3d90ba0-0cf0-40f5-b619-9d3ed6ad10bf%2F0099%22">told parliament</a> that opening the southern hemisphere’s largest coalmine would actually cut carbon pollution.</p>
<h2>Create doubt about facts – or make them up</h2>
<p>A second component of “truthiness” is the practice of deliberately presenting empirical facts as debatable, uncertain or political – or simply lying. The best examples of lying are the claims of the mine’s benefits to Queensland and Australia.</p>
<p>Most common are references to the number of jobs the Carmichael mine will provide to the Queensland economy, where the employment situation is portrayed as desperate. </p>
<p>For instance, Queensland federal MP Michelle Landry <a href="http://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;query=Id%3A%22chamber%2Fhansardr%2Fc737e440-6de7-4ab7-a383-e9cc80648ecf%2F0198%22">claimed</a>: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>The Adani Carmichael coalmine offers up to 10,000 new jobs, mainly in Queensland; A$20 billion of investment in Australia; and power, to build the living standards of 100 million people in India.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>In fact, Jerome Fahrer, who prepared an economic assessment of the Carmichael mine for Adani, <a href="http://envlaw.com.au/wp-content/uploads/carmichael43A.pdf">admitted in court</a> that it will create an average of 1,464 direct and indirect jobs over the life of the project. Yet virtually every mine supporter has since 2014 repeated an <a href="http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/business-spectator/fact-check-will-adanis-coal-mine-really-boost-employment-by-10000-jobs/news-story/903c1932738b1d1a1763c74e45f4d7c7">incorrect figure of 10,000 new jobs</a>. They include the <a href="http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:jWlDdY7NGqAJ:www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/foreign-affairs/adani-mine-has-huge-economic-benefits-for-australia-turnbull-says/news-story/76322acfc4bed6073f1f4b6c2001676d+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=au">prime minister</a>, the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/aug/17/george-brandis-vigilante-green-groups-destroying-thousands-of-mining-jobs">attorney-general</a> and federal and state Liberal and National Party MPs.</p>
<p>Another prominent tactic used to cast unwanted facts as debatable or doubtful is to generate oxymorons that promote contradictory messages. </p>
<p>Mining corporations in Australia – and globally – use the term “sustainable mining” to describe projects that provide jobs. Politicians have adopted this; Anthony Lynham, Queensland’s minister for natural resources and mines, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/mar/17/indigenous-opponents-of-adanis-carmichael-mine-to-intensity-court-battle">declared</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>This government strongly supports the sustainable development of the Galilee Basin for the jobs and economic development that it will provide for regional Queensland.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Perhaps the most pernicious oxymoron used by mine supporters is “clean coal”. To counter the claim that Galilee Basin coal is “clean”, The Australia Institute <a href="http://www.tai.org.au/sites/defualt/files/P303%20Coal%20hard%20facts_0.pdf">cites estimates</a> by Adani and India’s <a href="https://www.coal.nic.in/sites/upload_files/coal/files/coalupload/provisional1314_0.pdf">Ministry of Coal</a> that it “is only 10% above the average quality of domestic Indian thermal coal in terms of energy content”. This is because “the ash content of Carmichael coal is estimated to be 26% – more than double the average of 12% for Australian thermal coal”. </p>
<p>The institute also notes that transporting the coal inevitably creates extra pollution.</p>
<h2>Smear without evidence</h2>
<p>Third, to construct truthiness, statements that are not scientific, logical or fact-based have proliferated in the political debate about the Adani mine. Politicians have constantly reframed the term “activist” to connote an enemy of both the mine and the national interest. MPs have called members of green groups <a href="https://www.google.com.au/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjcp4uIxPbWAhUCopQKHS_FArgQFggmMAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.couriermail.com.au%2Fnews%2Fqueensland%2Fecoactivists-hold-up-34-billion-worth-of-queensland-projects%2Fnews-story%2F44195381295203d8c14ba7f8edbb3216&usg=AOvVaw0UGv8n1ssyyHkld7O0JK4u">economic saboteurs</a>, “<a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-08-20/bradley-vigilante-litigants-didnt-stop-the-carmichael-mine/6708414">vigilantes</a>”, “<a href="http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/news/protestors-set-up-camp-to-disrupt-adani-carmichael-coal-mine-project/news-story/3e4dff5f41b9712596653c52d9c0a4f8">terrorists</a>” and “<a href="https://www.google.com.au/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=4&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwinvJ_oxfbWAhVErJQKHXsxA5kQFgg9MAM&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theaustralian.com.au%2Fnational-affairs%2Findigenous%2Fgreens-antiadani-groups-hijacking-interests-of-aboriginal-people%2Fnews-story%2F1c46d4e50b1a3434ddc688ab11e0d502&usg=AOvVaw2zoIFikN1zUwWeOB4HknvV">extremists</a>”.</p>
<p>This narrative casts environmentalists not only as economic enemies of Australia, but opposition to the mine as a form of terrorism. In parliament, Queensland LNP MP George Christensen described legal action to stop the mine as “an act of ecoterrorism”. He <a href="http://www.openaustralia.org.au/debates/?id=2016-02-08.8.2">continued</a>: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>Their lies, misinformation, slander and the frivolous legal action attacking a company for the sake of furthering an ideological cause can only be described as terrorism if you look at the criminal code.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The accusations of “eco-terrorism” and “sabotage” had no foundation in fact whatsoever. These claims were not linked to actual illegal activities by environmental groups opposed to the mine.</p>
<p>Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk summarised perhaps the most pernicious claim by mine proponents when she <a href="http://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/documents/hansard/2016/2016_04_19_WEEKLY.pdf">told parliament</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Queensland taxpayers will not be funding any infrastructure for this project. Stringent conditions will be enforced to safeguard landholders’ and traditional owners’ interests.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>To keep Queensland taxpayers from funding the mine’s infrastructure, the burden will fall instead on Australian taxpayers via the Commonwealth government’s proposed <a href="https://theconversation.com/australias-1-billion-loan-to-adani-is-ripe-for-a-high-court-challenge-85077">$1 billion loan</a> from the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility to Adani. This will fund rail lines from the mine to the coast.</p>
<p>Nor have the rights of the traditional owners of the mine site been respected or upheld. The state and federal governments and courts have <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-12-07/further-legal-action-planned-against-carmichael-coal-mine/8100326">denied all legal challenges</a> from the Aboriginal people most affected by it.</p>
<p>The primary purpose of dissecting the arguments in favour of the Carmichael mine is to demonstrate the complexity of “truthiness” regimes. None of these discursive forms – gut feelings, spin and the politicisation of unwanted facts, or even outright lies – are enough on their own. Rather, these strategies overlap, intersect and reinforce each other.</p>
<p>The effect is to create an overarching “truthiness” regime that presents new megamines as desirable, inevitable and essential to maintain Australia’s national destiny. In response, a more complex and multi-pronged approach will be needed to convince the voting public that coal mining is not good for Australia, its economy, or the globe.</p>
<hr>
<p><em>You can read other articles in the series <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/post-truth-initiative-38606">here</a>.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/85671/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>There are telltale signs when regard for the facts of the matter is sacrificed to ‘truthiness’ to win a political debate.Benedetta Brevini, Senior Lecturer in Communication and Media, University of SydneyTerry Woronov, Senior Lecturer in Anthropology, University of SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/794312017-06-15T03:51:04Z2017-06-15T03:51:04ZPolitics podcast: Josh Frydenberg, George Christensen and Mark Butler on the Finkel review<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/173943/original/file-20170615-25014-xgbvh9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Lukas Coch/AAP</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Malcolm Turnbull declared on Wednesday he’d “provided decisive leadership on energy”. It is a claim perhaps better cast in the future tense. </p>
<p>The debate over the Finkel panel’s recommendation for a clean energy target (CET) is just beginning, and already it is clear that reaching an outcome that brings the certainty the business community needs to invest will be a hard slog for Turnbull, who will be undermined by critics on his own side.</p>
<p>In this podcast we talk Finkel with Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg, Nationals backbencher George Christensen, and opposition climate spokesman Mark Butler.</p>
<p>Frydenberg, charged with the detailed heavy-lifting, tells Michelle Grattan: “We have to work together as a team to land this difficult policy area.” </p>
<p>Christensen proudly wears the agrarian socialist title as he advocates for radical changes to the regulation of Australian energy prices. “Being bold is the answer and market intervention has to happen.” He’s sceptical of a CET without seeing the modelling and data. </p>
<p>Butler believes a CET is workable but it has to be consistent with principles, which means such a scheme shouldn’t incorporate so-called “clean” coal. “The discussion of the Finkel report shouldn’t include concessions for the hard-right-wing,” he says.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/79431/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Michelle Grattan does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>It's clear that reaching an outcome on energy policy which brings the certainty business needs to invest will be a hard slog for Malcolm Turnbull.Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of CanberraLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/767082017-04-26T12:22:34Z2017-04-26T12:22:34ZAbdel-Magied Anzac row is a storm over not much<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/166822/original/file-20170426-2831-1k7nt2e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C63%2C2500%2C1351&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">It is important to remember Yassmin Abdel-Magied's comment was not made when she was actually presenting on the ABC.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">http://www.yassminam.com/</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>There are two issues in the latest episode of the culture wars, sparked by the Anzac Day Facebook comment by controversial young Muslim activist and part-time ABC presenter Yassmin Abdel-Magied.</p>
<p>One is what she actually said; the other is whether the ABC should act against a presenter who made such a comment – but not on air. </p>
<p>Abdel-Magied posted:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Lest. We. Forget. (Manus, Nauru, Syria, Palestine …)</p>
</blockquote>
<p>She later removed the bracketed part and apologised “unreservedly”, saying it had been brought to her attention that her post had been disrespectful.</p>
<p>Predictably, outrage has followed her post, which has become the latest weapon for those wanting to beat up on the ABC.</p>
<p>The Daily Telegraph devoted most of its front page to what surely was a marginal piece of news.</p>
<p>“Two Finger Salute” screamed the headline, with a line over it, “ABC host’s ultimate insult to Anzac legend”. Just to ensure readers got the point, the line under the heading read: “Un-Australian Broadcasting Corporation backs activist who demeans our war heroes.”</p>
<p>Conservative Liberal senator Eric Abetz has asked Foreign Minister Julie Bishop to terminate Abdel-Magied’s membership of the Council for Australian-Arab Relations. Immigration Minister Peter Dutton said it was “a disgrace that on our most significant national day … this advocate seeks to make political mileage”.</p>
<p>The Nationals’ George Christensen said not only shouldn’t Abdel-Magied be on the ABC, but “self-deportation [she was born in Sudan and has been in Australia since she was a toddler] should also be considered”.</p>
<p>Pauline Hanson tweeted: “Why’s the overfunded ABC giving a platform to people like Ms Abdul-Mageid [sic]?”, adding: “Let’s end this sort of tokenism!”</p>
<p>One-time Labor minister Graham Richardson said her performance “demonstrates what is wrong with the ABC”.</p>
<p>“Remember that the essence of the public broadcaster is Australian. If you can’t put Australia first then we, as taxpayers, should not be forking out for the salary of someone who she says is ‘first and foremost a Muslim’,” Richardson wrote.</p>
<p>The ABC said in a statement that it was appropriate that Abdel-Magied deleted and apologised for the words. But it has not taken action against her.</p>
<p>It pointed out she is a part-time presenter on Australia Wide, and in that role worked in accordance with ABC rules. Beyond that, it said, she was engaged in a range of other activities unrelated to the ABC. “Her views and opinions in that capacity are her own and do not represent those of the ABC.”</p>
<p>But Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce wanted action, warning that “the people are watching the ABC on this one”, and pointing out it was paid for by the taxpayers.</p>
<p>It is important to remember Abdel-Magied’s comment was not made when she was actually presenting on the ABC.</p>
<p>Are the critics saying that the ABC must be responsible for the views expressed in other forums by anyone who might be a part-time presenter?</p>
<p>Critics are always insisting the ABC should have more conservative presenters. If more conservatives were appointed to present one or two programs, should what they said elsewhere follow ABC guidelines and be under strict ABC control? Hardly.</p>
<p>In terms of the content of Abdel-Magied’s post, vocal advocates of removing restraints (notably Section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act) to promote “free speech” can’t object when someone speaks out.</p>
<p>The fact that a remark is considered disrespectful or against Australian values is hardly the point – or perhaps it makes the point. The test of your commitment to free speech, a core Australian value, is when you don’t like what’s being said.</p>
<p>Abdel-Magied’s comment upset many people, but was mild by comparison with, for example, some of the dialogue in Alan Seymour’s famous The One Day of the Year.</p>
<p>In that play, the young character Hughie declares: “That whole thing – Anzac – Gallipoli – was a waste. Certainly nothing to glorify.” </p>
<p>Wacka Dawson tells Alf, fellow digger and Hughie’s father: “He’s got the right to think and say what he likes. Any fightin’ we ever did, you ‘n’ me, in any wars, it was to give him that right.”</p>
<p>Seymour’s play, written in 1958, caused a furore, including a bomb scare during a dress rehearsal and death threats to the author. It went on to be seen as a classic in Australian writing. </p>
<iframe src="https://www.podbean.com/media/player/r88ra-6a1eda?from=yiiadmin" data-link="https://www.podbean.com/media/player/r88ra-6a1eda?from=yiiadmin" height="100" width="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player"></iframe><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/76708/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<h4 class="border">Disclosure</h4><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Michelle Grattan does ABC Radio National breakfast commentary.</span></em></p>There are two issues in the latest episode of the culture wars, sparked by the Anzac Day Facebook comment by controversial young Muslim activist and part-time ABC presenter Yassmin Abdel-Magied. One is…Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of CanberraLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/659542016-09-23T02:38:10Z2016-09-23T02:38:10ZVIDEO: Michelle Grattan on the government’s approach to welfare<figure>
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<p>University of Canberra professorial fellow Michelle Grattan and senior lecturer in political science Michael de Percy discuss the week in politics, including Nationals MP George Christensen going solo, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s announcement of a rise in Australia’s humanitarian refugee intake, Education Minister Simon Birmingham foreshadowing changes to the Gonski schools funding model, and how the government is approaching welfare spending.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/65954/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>University of Canberra professorial fellow Michelle Grattan and senior lecturer in political science Michael de Percy discuss the week in politics.Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of CanberraMichael de Percy, Senior Lecturer in Political Science, University of CanberraLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/656742016-09-19T10:50:17Z2016-09-19T10:50:17ZBarnaby Joyce’s challenge: applying the whip to the Nationals’ whip<p>Bizarre as it might seem George Christensen, the rebel MP who threatened to cross the floor unless the government changed the superannuation package, is the Nationals’ chief whip.</p>
<p>After the election Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce asked him to step up from the deputy whip position. When the vote in the party room came, there was no other nomination for the job.</p>
<p>That gives Christensen a central role in keeping the Nationals in line, rather than a licence to freelance. </p>
<p>“I asked Barnaby if that [post] would preclude speaking out,” Christensen says. He was told it would not, because he wasn’t part of the executive. But he would have to give up the position if he crossed the floor. The sanction would apply to abstaining in a vote, he says.</p>
<p>In the event, the government’s reworking of its superannuation plan satisfied Christensen; indeed, he was able to claim a day in the sun as part of the push, including vocal conservative Liberals, which secured change. The floor crossing threat evaporated, for that time.</p>
<p>In this parliament where the Turnbull government has the slimmest majority, any serious rebellion by the freewheeling Christensen has the potential to embarrass the government.</p>
<p>It is ironic that Joyce, as party leader, is the one charged with keeping Christensen in the tent. When he was a Queensland senator Joyce was the Coalition’s bad boy in a finely-balanced upper house. Joyce crossed the floor multiple times; he prided himself in driving some hard bargains within the Howard government.</p>
<p>In the past few days Christensen’s pre-election threat that if the backpacker tax wasn’t properly fixed he would quit the Coalition has reared its head.</p>
<p>He says his remark has been over-blown. The context was his confidence that after the election the government – which had deferred the implementation of the proposed 32.5% backpacker tax – would produce an acceptable compromise. He is not arguing backpackers should pay no tax, but an appropriate level.</p>
<p>Treasurer Scott Morrison and Joyce will take a submission to cabinet on the tax, and there is pressure for an early resolution. Morrison on Monday indicated discussions had been held with the backbench; he also declared that “if there are changes to be made, then certainly my view as treasurer is that they will be made in a way that does not disadvantage the budget”.</p>
<p>Following Pauling Hanson’s call for a stop to Muslim immigration last week, Christensen urged a ban on immigration from countries with a high level of violent extremism.</p>
<p>He acknowledges an overlap of views with One Nation. “I’ve never seen One Nation as the bogeyman others paint it.” He says he will continue to advocate his view on immigration: “If we [the Coalition] are to stop bleeding to the right we need to tackle an issue like that.”</p>
<p>He told The Australian that he had asked Hanson not to run a candidate against him in the election. One factor in One Nation’s decision to stay out of his Queensland seat of Dawson was that “obviously, they were not looking at ousting an MP who was advocating the same sort of views espoused by One Nation”. The Senate One Nation vote in Dawson was 13.26%, according to an analysis of One Nation’s footprint in Queensland done by the Liberal National Party (LNP).</p>
<p>A one-time president of the Young Nationals in Queensland, Christensen has held Dawson since 2010. A journalist by training, he worked for former National MP De-Anne Kelly, who previously held the seat. He comes from a cane farming family, and sugar is a hot button issue with him. No wonder Joyce was being dismissive on Monday of a Liberal backbencher’s suggestion of a “sugar tax” on soft drinks.</p>
<p>Christensen, who was raised a Catholic but converted to the Antiochian Orthodox church, is part of the religious right, and takes a strong stand on moral issues. He was outspoken against the Safe Schools program. When the Queensland parliament last week lowered the age of consent for anal sex he warned it held the danger of old men preying on youths.</p>
<p>Joyce’s nightmare would be if Christensen at some point jumped ship, as former National Bob Katter did some years ago.</p>
<p>“I want to make sure that we keep our team together,” Joyce said - “the last thing we want” was a repeat of the Katter scenario.</p>
<p>The odds seem against Christensen doing a Katter. “Never say never,” he says. But “I’ve been in the National Party and the [successor] LNP for more than 20 years. I’m very loyal to Barnaby Joyce”. And the clincher: “More can be achieved within the government than outside.”</p>
<iframe src="https://www.podbean.com/media/player/4bzqj-62b3b6?from=yiiadmin" data-link="https://www.podbean.com/media/player/4bzqj-62b3b6?from=yiiadmin" height="100" width="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player"></iframe><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/65674/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
Bizarre as it might seem George Christensen, the rebel MP who threatened to cross the floor unless the government changed the superannuation package, is the Nationals’ chief whip. After the election Nationals…Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of CanberraLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/563472016-03-20T19:28:25Z2016-03-20T19:28:25ZFear and loathing reigns in Safe Schools and same-sex marriage debates<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/115556/original/image-20160318-16353-1u4z0w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">LNP MP George Christensen has been vociferous in his opposition to the Safe Schools program.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">AAP/Mick Tsikas</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Arguments around sexual diversity dominated the final week of the last parliamentary session before the budget, with bitter divisions over same-sex marriage and the Safe Schools Coalition.</p>
<p>Homosexuality – and transgender – has become a proxy for two equally bitter contests. One is Labor’s determination to prevent the Greens’ rise as a significant third force in Australian politics. The other is for the <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-liberal-leading-the-liberals-can-turnbull-manage-the-ultra-conservatives-53976">soul of the Liberal Party</a>, a larger conflict than that between Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and the bitter camp of Abbott exiles.</p>
<p>Everyone but the religious Right, I suspect, is sick of the same-sex marriage debate. Public opinion polls have <a href="http://www.samesame.com.au/news/13460/New-poll-shows-Australian-support-for-marriage-equality-remains-strong">made clear</a> that most Australians believe the law should be changed to allow same-sex couples to marry. Even some conservative politicians <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/jan/27/eric-abetz-coalition-mps-will-not-be-bound-by-plebiscite-on-marriage-equality">have said</a> they think a plebiscite is a waste of time and money.</p>
<p>Yet the debate continues. Every political faction is determined to wring whatever mileage they can from the issue. The Right won one victory this week: Senate manoeuvres resulted the same-sex marriage bill being put on a back-burner for the time being. </p>
<p>This further inflamed bitterness between Labor and the Greens. Each is crying foul over procedural manoeuvres designed to suggest they oppose same-sex marriage, when the real battle is for numbers in the Senate.</p>
<p>Australia is not unique in having long and acrimonious debates around same-sex marriage. The <a href="http://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/14pdf/14-556_3204.pdf">US Supreme Court decision</a> last year that same-sex marriage could not be denied on constitutional grounds followed almost two decades of bitter state-level campaigns. Ireland <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34810598">changed its laws</a> following a constitutional referendum. In France support for and opposition to same-sex marriage brought hundreds of thousands <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34810598">onto the streets</a>.</p>
<p>Nothing other than internal government politics prevents parliament amending the Marriage Act to allow for same-sex marriage. The <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/senator-joe-bullock-quits-citing-labors-support-for-homosexual-marriage-20160301-gn7ugj.html">resignation of Labor senator Joe Bullock</a> was a dramatic acknowledgement that a Labor government would do exactly that.</p>
<p>Every political party has champions of same-sex marriage vying to win credit for this change. Within the Liberal Party same-sex marriage has become a proxy for a battle between social conservatives and progressives, the former including most of Tony Abbott’s diehard supporters.</p>
<p>A plebiscite is a bad idea for a <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-plebiscite-on-same-sex-marriage-would-be-a-failure-of-parliaments-responsibility-55289">number of reasons</a>. Not only is it wasteful, unnecessary and divisive, but a plebiscite on same-sex marriage will hold back the referendum on Indigenous recognition that is required for constitutional change.</p>
<p>Now that several government MPs have indicated they would not feel bound by the results of a plebiscite, Turnbull has the opportunity to ask the partyroom to revisit the decision and support a free vote. He might gently remind them that abrogating their obligation to legislate is an extraordinary breach of the Westminster tradition on which liberals so pride themselves.</p>
<p>Inevitably the marriage debate has become entangled with another push from conservative parliamentarians – the Safe Schools program, which is aimed at teaching children about sexual and <a href="https://theconversation.com/safe-schools-coalition-what-is-the-christian-right-afraid-of-55296">gender diversity</a>.</p>
<p>The conservatives asked for a review of the program. Having had one that appeared as though it wouldn’t satisfy them, they redoubled their attacks in the hope of having the program scrapped. LNP MP George Christensen, a key agitator, <a href="http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/education/safe-schools-program-federal-government-unveils-changes/news-story/ce2d4751b2068f6b3ecedede317954fd">said</a> he was “surprised” that the government’s response to the review went as far as it did; the changes would “gut the program of all of the concerning content”.</p>
<p>Perhaps the most serious change is the requirement for parental consent, which means those kids questioning their sexuality or gender identity who come from unsupportive families are likely to miss out on the very program that might help them deal with their anxieties.</p>
<p>The hyperbole around these attacks, led by Christensen (who has a history of inflaming public debate and has been accused of <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-07-16/christensen-to-speak-at-mackay-reclaim-australia-rally/6625188">racist</a> and <a href="http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/queensland-state-election-2015/qld-election-2015-george-christensen-posts-cartoon-of-naked-annastacia-palaszczuk-20150127-12zifb.html">sexist behaviour</a>), stems from a mixture of political opportunism and deep fears around changing sexual and gender norms.</p>
<p>The opportunism is obvious. Fearmongering, whether against queers or Muslims, is a preferred tactic of the Liberal rump, which increasingly resembles the exiled Stuarts dreaming of a return to the throne. A couple of incautious comments by people connected with Safe Schools gave them ammunition enough to create doubt among many of their colleagues.</p>
<p>The current polarisation around queer issues echoes the international debates, where it becomes impossible to engage in discussion without resort to <a href="https://theconversation.com/queer-wars-the-best-place-to-start-promoting-gay-rights-is-at-home-55747">name-calling</a>. Thus former human rights commissioner Tim Wilson, who on Saturday won Liberal pre-selection for the seat of Goldstein, was attacked viciously for defending Safe Schools in a leaflet that <a href="http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/education/dirt-sheet-smears-gay-libs-candidate-tim-wilson/news-story/0276b411a1e0826d8dd976bc4796830c">clearly distorted his views</a>.</p>
<p>The weekend papers were also a good indication of how viciously this campaign is being fought. The Weekend Australian ran a <a href="http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/education/scepticism-as-survey-doubles-teen-samesex-attraction/news-story/b019af5a305c46f01ef470a6b34163e7">front page attack</a> on the research underlying the program, in which it quoted as its major authority James Athanasou, an associate professor in rehabilitation counselling. The Australian’s report points to differences between figures for same-sex attraction in various studies, but fails to distinguish between attraction and identity, a basic argument in the 2013 <a href="http://www.ashr.edu.au">Australian Study of Health and Relationships</a> which the reporter accepts as definitive.</p>
<p>Politicians and the media are both responsible for the debate’s polarisation. The Murdoch press has delighted in exaggerated and sensational reports about the program. Even the ABC’s Q&A program has <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/tv-and-radio/qa-lyle-shelton-and-kerryn-phelps-clash-on-samesex-marriage-and-safe-schools-program-20160301-gn6v7a.html">given considerable airtime</a> to the most extreme opponents of same-sex marriage, rather than seeking out people who have genuine concerns but are equally conscious of homophobic and transphobic abuse.</p>
<p>Many in the queer community fear a plebiscite will unleash the sort of vituperation and threats that have been apparent in the reaction to the Safe Schools controversy. Turnbull <a href="http://www.news.com.au/national/breaking-news/pm-should-reprimand-homophobic-mp/news-story/1438636056250f22af30c6e73067bdf4">called on</a> all MPs to be measured and:</p>
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<p>… to consider very carefully the impact of the words they use on young people and on their families.</p>
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<p>Unless he holds his own supporters to account there is little chance of a sensible debate on any of these issues.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/56347/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Dennis Altman does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The damaging polarisation around queer issues in Australian politics is out of step with community sentiment.Dennis Altman, Professorial Fellow in Human Security, La Trobe UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.