Katherine Deves may not have been mentioned during last night’s leaders’ debate, but Scott Morrison’s support for her candidacy exposed a major contradiction in his pitch for reelection.
During the debate, Morrison answered a question about what politicians could do to encourage young voters to have faith in the political system by talking up the Coalition government’s suite of tech laws.
The laws (some enacted, some proposed) promise to “crack down on big tech” and have been touted by the government for months. Despite criticisms that the laws won’t accomplish what they set out to do, Morrison has hoped to tap into fears about online safety, free speech and the wellbeing of children forced to spend time on their devices while in lockdown during the pandemic.
Morrison’s claims of wanting to protect people online are uncomfortably at odds with the fact he is backing a candidate who has used social media to demonise trans Australians, a group that frequently faces real harm because of their gender identity.
By now you’ve heard about the Liberal candidate for Warringah, Katherine Deves. The Sydney lawyer and mother of three has deleted her Twitter account, but not before thousands of posts about transgender people were archived. There has been a constant drip of stories about views she publicly espoused — and there will be more to come.
It was incredible to see Morrison beat his chest and promote his passing of legislation to keep people safe online while his captain’s pick was simultaneously using social media to call transgender Australians mutilated and sex offenders, and accuse them of doing “womanface”.
(By the way, Morrison yesterday claimed that Deves was being cancelled. You know who’s silencing her? Her own campaign. Deves has been forbidden from talking to the media, the AFR reports.)
Beyond the galling nature of it, Deves’ online transphobia also exposes the limitations of the way this government has approached being safe online. Because Deves didn’t direct comments at an individual, it wouldn’t come under the Online Safety Act or attract the attention of the safety commissioner. She made the comments under her own name, so the Social Media (Anti-Trolling) Bill won’t apply.
People should be able to be who they are — online and offline — without facing outrageous and false slurs about their identity. Morrison’s hand-picked candidate Katherine Deves unintentionally proves that his own government’s campaign about online safety is more about aesthetics than it is about protecting Australians.
Perrottet says he never leaked the private text to Morrison supporting Deves. Media need to ask Morrison how it was leaked and if he denies it ask why he is not the slightest bit concerned about the leaking.
The Morrison plan is like the VOVID virus .It is made up of spikes with nasty little heads . Without all the little nasties the virus (Morrison’s plan) cannot win. Morrisons’ nasty spikes all have some appeal to extremists in society but are unacceptable to the majority . The accumulation of nasty little conspirators escapes the attention of the coalition mainstream voters and suddenly the country is controlled by right-wing religious extremists
The Morrison government accumulates extremists but denies their theories in public. This is good for the accumulation or harvesting of votes and can be refuted when challenged but still gives the extremists a focus point to deliver their votes
Just like the spikes on the COVID virus all the little spikes or extremists are part of the Virus
The Rodent showed how it was done when he gathered PHONies’ followers into his fold whilst criticising her (and by definition, them) sotto voce.
He must have bought those dog-whistles by the gross as he wore them out, blowing as hard as he could with every breath in his loveless body.
The core of the virus is isolated from the spikes and if needed it can shed a really undesirable spike
.Sound familiar? No its not the COVID virus it’s Sco Mo’s Coalition vote harvesting of votes formula.
Show me an objectionable fringe group and I will provide a vote-catching spike No nut case theorist groups excluded
It’s pretty clear why Morrison picked this woman. We also have at least one other from the religions of hatred and division running in New South Wales and a further one in Western Australia – plus the ACL broadcasting its messages of hate on his behalf. He wants to turn Australia into a version of Gilead and, like Trump, imagines the religious lo0ny right will want him as leader when they achieve dominance.
It’s a lot more subtle than that. What Morrison wants to do is trap the ALP in a bind like UK Labour has gotten into, where politicians have been so concerned with being seen to be “not transphobic” that multiple UK Labour shadow ministers have been scared to even define woman as a biologically female person, lest they annoy transgender activists.
Albo dodged that bullet very smartly when he sensibly said “no, a man can’t get pregnant”. But the fact is, the policy platform that Deves is standing on is that of keeping womens’ sports single-sex, and that’s a really popular policy position. If her opponents keep banging on about “transphobia”, all they’re doing is calling attention to the fact that they are likely to vote against the sports bill – ie, in favor of womens’ sports clubs being compelled to accept male-bodied athletes. And that’s likely to leech women voters in particular into the Liberal camp.
Is it really a popular policy position?
the women’s sports associations are not supporting this or even seeing it as an important item.
If you just go talk to people day to day who aren’t really political,sure it is. Most people understand that there are differences between male and female bodies, which are the whole reason for having womens’ categories in the first place.
It is not a popular policy position. Sports clubs have overwhelmingly said it’s not an issue. I’m sure if someone like you asks people, with the sort of loaded questions that people like you ask, then you get a certain answer. But people are far more concerned with everyday issues like childcare and cost of living and housing. Trans issues are far from most people’s minds. Except, of course, the people who have to live with the hatred and vilification that people like you encourage.
Albo says the whole issue is dealt with by the Sexual Discrimination Act.
Aren’t trans kids blessed that they don’t have Morrison or Dave’s for parents, let alone kids with a disability.
I would like someone to explain to me why everyone thinks they have a ‘right’ to judge others who may be a little different…in many ways…to so called ‘normal’ folk? Issues like trans-gender people, homosexuality, what religious/political beliefs you hold…all are okay, so long as you don’t hurt others…and we have laws to guard against that happening. For goodness sake, just mind your own business, and stop making life intolerable for those who don’t measure up to your idea of ‘perfection’.
As far as sport and the transgender women are concerned, let the sporting authorities deal with it. They are in the best position to determine what is fair for everyone. As for that Deves woman…couldn’t she find something more useful to do, rather than spraying around hatred and bigotry without a thought for how that affects children and their parents who are trying to cope with ‘difference’.
And those who agree with Ms Deves? GET OVER YOURSELVES!!
Sporting bodies, like any human being, are potentially swayed by propaganda and social pressure. I disagree with your suggestion. This issue is too important to be left to committees and individuals. It should be decided by society as a whole. That should be the democratic way.
Sport? Important? Ha!
The reason Ash Barty is such a good winner is because she’s also a good loser and knows that sport is not ‘important’.
There is a transgender teenager within my extended family. It has been a complex time for us all – learning what to say and do in supporting this kid has presented us all with a steep learning curve.
I have found friends and neighbours want to know more and are unanimously supportive in their attitudes when the situation is described and/or explained to them.
Deves, Morrison and Perrottet obviously move in different circles – fortunately for my teenager relative few seem to share their views.
It should come as no real surprise at all, to why why Morrison has endorsed, LNP – candidate Katherine Deves !! It fits well with his own personal beliefs and will be yet another tokenistic, female appointment, to give the impression – that LNP, are inclusive of women in federal politics and doing their bit to resolve the current gender imbalance within LNP.
In reality, all smoke and mirrors and more LNP platitudes!!!