This article contains offensive language.
United Australia Party Senator Ralph Babet took to social media site X on Monday and posted a diatribe of slurs and offensive remarks, sparking outrage and drawing criticism from Greens leader Adam Bandt.
Reposting an hour-long broadcast by far-right influencer Andrew Tate, Babet wrote “my n*gger nailed this one”. (Asterisks added by Crikey)
“In my house we say ph*ggott, r*tardd and n*gger. We are sick of you woke ass clowns. Cry more. Write an article. Tweet about me. No one cares what you think,” he posted.
Bandt described the remarks as “despicable”, saying they “hurt people and should be condemned”.
The remarks are clearly inflammatory, but whether Babet is sanctioned for them is another matter entirely.
While there is a ministerial code of conduct in place in Parliament House, there is no specific code of conduct for senators. In October, the Parliament passed a resolution to endorse a behaviour code for Australian parliamentarians and behaviour standards for Commonwealth parliamentary workplaces.
However, University of Sydney constitutional law expert Anne Twomey said that the language in the code (noting that she referred to the draft provisions, the substance of which have not changed from the provisions endorsed by the Parliament) refer to the “dignity, courtesy, fairness and respect” parliamentarians must show others.
Twomey told Crikey that this “probably doesn’t apply to general tweets”.
Twomey added that the provisions in relation to respect don’t fall under “prohibited conduct”, which address bullying, harassment and discrimination.
However, complaints under the code, managed by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Commission, obligate parliamentarians to “cooperate with investigations and comply with sanctions imposed”.
Twomey noted that when it came to regulating parliamentarian behaviour the relevant legislation usually addressed behaviour inside Parliament House itself.
Babet was elected in 2022 as the last candidate on the Victorian Senate ticket for billionaire Clive Palmer’s United Australia Party following the mining magnate’s reported $100 million electoral spend.
Babet has espoused various conspiracy theories, and has modelled himself on overseas culture war figures, recently travelling to the United States to support Donald Trump in the Republican leader’s eventually successful race for the US presidency.
Senator Babet’s office was contacted for comment, as was Palmer. Neither responded in time for publication, but Babet took to X to say: “The chances of me apologising for anything I’ve said on X are zero.”
