On Tuesday, rogue Coalition MP George Christensen told federal parliament it needed to “end the madness” of lockdowns, accusing the media, politicians, and medical professionals of “spreading fear” during the pandemic.
Christensen’s outburst, steeped in misinformation related to COVID-19, including his opinion that masks do not work, that vaccine passports are a form of discrimination and lockdowns are ineffective. Christensen, who has announced he will not recontest his seat at the next election, seemingly has nothing to lose by pushing his highly dangerous agenda in parliament.
“When will the madness end? How many more freedoms will we lose due to fear of a virus, which has a survivability rate of 997 out of 1,000,’’ Christensen said.
Labor leader Anthony Albanese said the comments were a disgrace and were designed to use the national parliament to spread misinformation and “undermine the actions of Australians to defeat Covid”.
He said Christensen’s comments were “madness”.
“Madness is saying – let this disease rip,” Albanese said. “Let people die. Let whole economies be shut down. Let’s stop us being able to return to our way of life. That is what is madness. The madness of conspiracy theorists.”
Albanese successfully moved a motion toward the end of question time, calling on the parliament to reject “statements that masks do not work, that lockdowns do not work”. He also called on members of parliament to refrain from making “ill-informed comments” at a time when COVID remains a serious threat to the health of the public.
In a rare show of bipartisanship, Albanese’s motion was passed through the parliament without objection from the Coalition.
And while the Coalition allowed Albanese’s motion condemning Christensen to pass, prominent Nationals figures have said they support the MP’s “freedom of speech”.
Speaking to ABC Breakfast on Wednesday morning, Deputy Nationals leader David Littleproud said while he doesn’t support the comments Christensen made, he is comfortable with him remaining a member of the Nationals and a government MP.
“We do not support George on this,” he said. “But freedom of speech is an important principle that many have died for, and George is entitled to make that. With that comes responsibility.”
Littleproud said that because Christensen was on the back bench, he had little decision-making influence, and would be “counselled” by deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce.
But Barnaby Joyce told ABC radio on Wednesday morning that it was ludicrous to suggest he could stop Christensen spreading misinformation or making similar speeches in the future.
“I’ve had conversations with him…that doesn’t mean he’s a slave of anybody,” Joyce said.
“The likelihood of that is near zero.”
Christensen’s comments on Tuesday follow a speech he made last week in support of anti-lockdown protests, as well as his attendance at an anti-lockdown rally in Mackay two weeks ago.
While Littleproud seems content that Christensen’s influence over the government is minimal, his influence is far from minimal elsewhere. Christensen has 83,000 followers on Facebook, where he frequently spreads misinformation, and he is reportedly launching a “pro-freedom” news website as he looks to retire from politics.
In parliament on Tuesday, Prime Minister Scott Morrison spoke generally about condemning misinformation, but did not specifically reprimand Christensen for his dangerous rhetoric that undermines his own government’s health response to the pandemic.
With Morrison’s sights set clearly on the next election, his refusal to rebuke Christensen speaks to a wider issue that the rogue Nationals MP is not the only person within the Coalition harbouring dangerous views on COVID-19. Morrison needs every member of his government on side to win the next election, something he’s willing to prioritise over the health of Australians.