SA Senator Alex Antic on collision course with religious freedom bill
Alex Antic is set to keep holding back his vote over his vaccine beliefs despite splurging on Facebook ads promoting one of the PM’s big bills.
SA News
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Rebel senator Alex Antic will continue holding the government’s legislative agenda to ransom, Liberal MPs expect, putting himself on a collision course with the contentious religious freedom bill.
The Advertiser understands Liberal MPs are bracing for Senator Antic to join fellow rebel Gerard Rennick in withholding his vote on all government business in protest of state vaccine mandates.
But Senator Antic has been outspoken in his support for the federal government’s Religious Discrimination Bill, which Prime Minister Scott Morrison hopes to jam through parliament this week.
Senator Antic has spent close to $1000 on Facebook advertisements promoting the bill, which provides greater freedoms to express religious beliefs.
The SA Senator ran two separate Facebook advertisements from late December to late January, calling on people to respond to a “quick survey to show your support for religious freedom”.
“The left (wing) has been attacking religious freedom in Australia for years,” the advertisement says.
“But right now you have a government with the courage to stand up for our values and, as part of that team, I’m fighting back like never before!”
In a bid to get support from moderate MPs, Mr Morrison has promised to ban schools from expelling students based on their sexuality.
One government source expected the concession to anger conservative MPs, including Senator Antic, who was initially predicted to make an exception in his protest by voting in favour of the proposed legislation.
Last month the senator publicly supported the Convoy to Canberra march, protesting against vaccine mandates.
Convoy organisers were planning a "huge, peaceful assembly” at Parliament House on Tuesday morning.
Senator Antic, who arrived in Canberra on Monday night, has declined to comment to The Advertiser.
Senator Antic has spent at least $700 to date publishing anti-vaccine mandate advertisements on Facebook, which had an estimated audience size of more than one million people.
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