As ever, the speakers roster at this year’s Australian branch of the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) fell into the three categories: people who get interviewed on Sky after dark; people who are no longer allowed to host shows on Sky after dark; and people who come up in related searches if you google the people in the first two categories.
This year managed to be more impressive than last year (with a former prime minister in Tony Abbott and a few international visitors, including former Trump adviser Jason Miller) but simultaneously less, with One Nation’s Malcolm Roberts, anti-5G conspiracy theorist Topher Field, and “popular rapper” Zuby reading out a Twitter thread.
So among the glittering array of some of Australia’s most easily booked right-wingers, what must it feel like to not even be asked to speak?
You could ask the following who Crikey spotted in the crowd: men’s rights activist/child abusers’ interviewer of choice Bettina Arndt; United Australia Party Senator Ralph Babet (the dispiriting answer to the question: “What does $100 million of Clive Palmer cash buy you?”) and mischievous crypt keeper and former Liberal senator Eric Abetz (seen “schmoozing”, we’re informed).
Also there was former Andrew Laming staffer and sentient smirk Barclay McGain, who was volunteering. We are told that at one point McGain intentionally ran into the chanting leftie protesters outside while videoing himself.
Just in case founder Andrew Cooper’s contention that if the “left” gets into power, “some of us would get literally slaughtered” didn’t tip you off, CPAC is all about that sort of content.
