ABOVE VIDEO: Tony VS. Zali - The Battle For Warringah
The first Australian spin-off of America’s Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) will take place August 9 to 11 in Sydney and feature speeches, a Gala dinner and a Sunday “activism bootcamp”.
There is already a version of the event in Tokyo and CPAC’s website describes the Australian event as, “A conference for those that despaired at the prospect of a Shorten government controlled by militant unions and influenced by the Greens.”
Raheem Kassam, the former editor-in-chief of alt-right news site Breitbart, now a political commentator in the UK, is expected to attend.
But Labor's Home Affairs spokesperson Kristina Keneally this morning to reject Kassam’s visa on moral grounds.
He is outspoken about being politically incorrect on Twitter, and once tweeted that Scottish Party Leader Nicola Sturgen, who had suffered a miscarriage, should have her mouth and legs taped shut so she could not reproduce.
Australia dodged a socialist arrow this time, and thank goodness for that, but we know they will redouble their efforts and come again supported by their boosters the Unions and GetUp.
Reads the offical CPAC Aus website.
Who are the speakers?
Australian CPAC has scored a swathe of Australian conservative mouthpieces including former PM Tony Abbott, One Nation party member Mark Latham and right-wing media commentator Daisy Cousens.
But Nigel Farage, the recent leader of the UK Brexit Party, to whom many attribute the party’s previous success, is the real headliner.
Farage was also one of the more high-profile UK politicians to be hit with a milkshake in the string of dairy-based protests earlier in the year.
also receiving top billing at CPAC Aus is Former US Judge and current Fox News show host Jeanine Pirro.
Pirro is an avid Trump supporter and an outspoken supporter of then-Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh when he was accused of sexual assault during his nomination.
Who are the sponsors?
The American Conservative Union is the event’s top sponsor alongside Liberty Works, an “Australian based not-for-profit organisation that advocates for a drastic reduction in government control over people’s economic and personal lives.”
A quick sweep of the Liberty Works website uncovers blog articles like “Brisbane’s New Green Ghetto” and “It’s Time To Say NO To Renewable Energy Targets”.
Second tier sponsors include Advance Australia, the conservative think tank behind pseudo-satirical superhero mascot .
The self-styled "truth crusader" landed in hot water during the federal election when Advance Australia posted rubbing up against a billboard of independent candidate Zali Steggell.
Steggell then went on to push Tony Abbott out of his long-held Warringah seat.
Other sponsors include Liberal party-affiliated think tank the Menzies Research Centre and news outlet The Epoch Times who have previously supported Trump and far right German groups.
Fun Facts...
There are three tiers of conference passes. The cheapest is named after former PM Robert Menzies, mid-access is The Iron Lady Pass, and high rollers can purchase the Reagan VIP Freedom Pass for just under $600.
There’s also some gem nods to political correctness in the speaker bios.
Janet Albrechtson’s bio confirms that she is indeed the chairMAN of the Institute of Public Affairs because, “The origin of chairman is in the Latin word for hand, ‘manus’, and the idea of ‘occupying a chair of authority’.”