In the days before the Victorian Liberal Party meeting that saw Moira Deeming suspended, Australian anti-vaccine group Reignite Democracy Australia called on its supporters to oppose disciplinary action against the anti-trans MP.
“Victoria is on the verge of losing Moira Deeming from the Liberal Party & TPAUS has made a free tool you can use to email all liberal MPs in your electorate,” a message sent by the group on Telegram read.
The post linked to the website of another fringe group run by a conspiracy theory-promoting Christian activist, Turning Point Australia, hosting a page that allowed people to mass email Victorian Liberal MPs with a message of support for Deeming. The same page was circulated in other conspiracy and far-right online spaces.
The webpage listed Overton Solutions as the company behind the tool. Crikey can reveal Overton Solutions is the new brainchild of two former Western Australian Liberal staff who want to provide technology to help right-wing groups and politicians “increase their reach and impact on society”.
Business records for Overton Solutions & Technology filed with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) show that Overton Solutions is co-owned by Michael John Huston and Emilio Alfonso Garcia (aka Emilio Garcia Cruz). Both are former staff members for former WA Liberal opposition leader David Honey, with Huston serving as chief of staff and Garcia as a social media and communications adviser. Huston has been embroiled in political controversies over accusations of intimidation and concerns about his conduct.
Garcia, who also formerly worked for the Australian Taxpayers Alliance and has repeatedly fundraised for anti-abortion groups on his personal Facebook page, announced the launch of the company last month on LinkedIn.
“G’day everyone. Last week, I founded Overton Solutions, a company that provides online political advocacy services to groups and politicians who promote time-honoured, patriotic, pro-family principles,” he wrote.
The name “Overton Solutions” is a reference to the Overton Window, a political concept highlighted on the company’s website that means the range of ideas and views on issues that are considered acceptable by the public.
Beyond providing web design and social media consulting, the website promotes “advocacy software” that it claims will help users mobilise their followers. This includes “PolitiCall Direct” which facilitates followers emailing, tweeting and calling MPs; a “Submission Builder” which creates slightly customised submissions for followers en masse; and “Alert The Press!” which mass-emails media outlets with content from users.
The company said it provides “clients in Australia, the USA, and other nations”. Beyond the far-right group Turning Point Australia, Crikey also found Overton Solutions’ tools being used by the Australian Taxpayers Alliance for its campaign about Labor’s proposed changes to superannuation tax concessions “Scrap Labor’s Super Tax”.
Its website makes clear the hope of providing its tools to conservative political forces: “By offering these resources to such groups and politicians, we strive to foster a political environment where the values that have shaped our society continue to thrive.”
Overton Solutions did not respond to emails and text messages for comment.
What could possibly inspire more confidence than their record with the Western Australian Liberal Party, that magnificent outfit that at the last WA election fought so effectively that Labor was held to merely 53 out of the 59 lower house seats and the Liberals took more than, well, umm… more than one seat there. Two, if you must be exact. And Labor also could only get 22 of the 36 seats in the upper house, so they ended upo with nothing more than a solid majority in both houses! Way to go, Western Australian Liberal Party! Let’s see what the genius political operators who achieved these outstanding results can do when they spread their proven political methods across all Australian electorates. It’s what Australia needs!
Nice, came here to write that, but you’ve done it better 🙂
They really are a weird and disgusting lot.
They have not and will not acknowledge that this is not the United States where a deficient electoral system overrepresents largely rural conspiracy theorists.
They lost the same sex marriage survey, every state and territory now has now decriminalised abortion and voluntary assisted dying.
The under 40s do not share their monoclonal white picket fence view of what a family is.
They have run out of successful targets to Other.
Have a look at the UAP’s non-landslide at the last Federal election, at Pauline Hanson’s political neardeath experience with the Legalise Marijuana Party and the demise of the Christian Democrat Party in NSW.
I hope that the Liberal Party does not wake up too soon from its dream of imposing the worst of US politics onto Australia, because I want the ALP and Greens to spend the next decade at least reshaping Australia for the better.
Me too. Here’s hoping.
Agree, while the article covers an aspect it also suggests the transnational links e.g. Taxpayers’ Alliance is Koch Atlas Network ditto Turning Point, with same in UK and US being promoted by right wing media and influencers inc. confected stunts for content.
Much of the imported US Christian led agitprop is about forming conservative voter coalitions, but this Christian stuff struggles to gain traction in Australia and UK, at least outside of the minorities in RW politics, media & Christianity?
Labor remains entirely captured by neoliberalism and from an economic perspective at least, is not substantially different from the Liberals.
Until and unless the Greens hold the balance of power, very little of significant improvement will be done. Without that you’re just going to get a somewhat more socially progressive version of Howard’s Liberals.
By pro family I am reading anti-GLBTI.
Michael Huston!
I remember him as a nasty young liberal operative on the UWA campus in the 80s.
And he’s just got nastier!
I wondered if that was him, true to form
There is another way to view this development.
The use of ‘robo-letters’ to besiege politicians and decision makers is yet to be shown to be effective.
However, as a means of funding a company, it is very effective.
Resolute and devout person’s are obviously prepared to give away/donate to pay for media ‘attention’.
Yelling at the sky is probably as effective as posting to social media..and costs less!
Possibly the best way to be ignored by a politician is to email them.
I was absolutely stunned to receive an actual reply (as opposed to an automated reply) from a pollie recently.
Even more so because it was from a LIBERAL……………….
…………..albeit the one in WA who dared make a mild criticism of the AUKUS farce.
Sent him congratulations on the attempt and actually heard back!
This definitely qualifies you for entry in the Guinness Book of Records.
And to get your name added free, to any Liberal branch needing some good, old-fashioned stacking.