Prominent ‘freedom’ protesters back Craig Kelly and Clive Palmer

Some of Australia’s most prominent “freedom” activists involved in the protests unfolding in Melbourne plan to stand for election alongside former Liberal MP Craig Kelly as candidates for Clive Palmer’s United Australia Party.

A number of figures from the “freedom” movement – including one accused of inciting protests during Melbourne’s lockdown – have also directed their support and large social media following to support Mr Kelly, who joined the billionaire mining magnate’s party after quitting the Liberals in February.

United Australia Party candidate Craig Kelly with ‘Freedom’ activist Monica Smit ahead of last weekend’s demonstration in Melbourne.Credit: Craig Kelly (Twitter)

Mr Palmer’s party has received more than 1500 nominations for all 151 lower house seats and all Senate seats, and one political expert has forecast that the UAP could hold the balance of power in the event of a hung Parliament at next year’s federal election.

NSW-based Mr Kelly, who quit the Liberals after being reprimanded for propagating unsubstantiated claims about COVID-19 and vaccines, has been campaigning hard in lockdown-fatigued Victoria in recent months.

Protests in Victoria are currently focused on the state government’s pandemic bill, which would transfer public health powers from the chief health officer to the premier and health minister. Critics say the powers are too far-reaching and do not allow for proper parliamentary scrutiny of decisions.

Morgan C Jonas, a well-known social media personality in the protest movement and partner of Reignite Democracy Australia founder Monica Smit, is the most high-profile right-wing protester to announce his political plans with UAP.

“What we need is for real Aussies like you and me to get involved in politics. That is why I recently submitted my candidate application for the United Australia Party,” Mr Jonas announced to thousands gathered at last Saturday’s rally in Melbourne’s CBD.

Mr Jonas said if he was endorsed he would “make it my personal business” to have “criminals like Daniel Andrews, Scott Morrison and Greg Hunt” removed from office.

“Who here is willing to roll their sleeves up and do anything it takes to secure the future of this country?” he called on the crowd, which cheered. “Who is willing to take action, get boots on the ground and play a role in getting them removed?”

Mr Kelly, who was appointed leader of United Australia Party in August, addressed the crowd alongside Mr Jonas last weekend, urging the crowd to help “kill the bill”, referring to the Andrews government’s proposed pandemic legislation and claimed he would “bring (Victorian Premier) Daniel Andrews to his knees”.

Mr Jonas rejected any suggestions he was anti-vax, far-right or peddled conspiracy theories on his webcast which streams four nights a week and has featured guests, including Mr Kelly and Sunshine GP Dr Mark Hobart who is currently under investigation for issuing false vaccine exemptions.

“I’ve got nothing against people taking the jab, but I’m strongly opposed to coercion, threats and mandates,” he told The Age.

United Australia Party MP Craig Kelly with Morgan Jonas, who has submitted his application to be a candidate with UAP Credit: Twitter

Ms Smit stands accused of inciting people via social media by encouraging them to attend anti-lockdown protests in Melbourne in August, including ones where police were injured - two criminal charges of inciting others to contravene the Chief Health Officer’s directions and three counts of failing to comply with a Chief Health Officer direction.

She is fighting the charges and her next court appearance is slated for February next year.

Other right-wing ‘freedom’ activists who have been campaigning against the bill, which is now stalled in the Victorian upper house, have been promoting Mr Kelly or UAP to their large followings. They include Avi Yemeni, Mel Ciechanowicz also known as Mel Ann, Fanos Panayides, Romeo Georges, Dave O’Neegs and Simeon Boikov aka ‘Aussie Cossack’.

Christos Harisopoulo, a 53-year-old semi-retiree from Melbourne’s west who is known in online circles for his satirical “Senator Papahatziharalambrous” character, also confirmed to The Age he had submitted his application to run for UAP. He said his concerns were for “loss of freedoms and medical segregation” and mandatory vaccines, but said he did not believe in QAnon conspiracies, as others within the movement did.

Greg Barton, professor of politics at Deakin University, said the UAP’s courting of fringe groups could prove a successful tactic in the event of a hung Parliament but would no doubt influence the entire political debate.

“It might be that some of these independents ended up in Parliament or it may be that it shapes the Coalition and their rhetoric,” he said. “UAPs preferences are likely to flow to the Coalition.”

Associate Professor Debra Smith from Victoria University, who specialises in extremist politics, said the effect of the mainstreaming of fringe politics was more concerning than seats in Parliament.

“The concern is around the approach to undermine trust in political systems, and essentially trying to actually critique the very system of democracy rather than work with it,” she said.

“If they do get elected then they actually have to work with the system – and in a way that moderates the protest – but what we’re seeing is this whipping up of this so-called ‘end day’ that we all have to stand up against. This doomsday rhetoric is existent through all extremist movements over history.”

Mr Jonas’ political bid comes a month after his fiancee Ms Smit announced her organisation no longer had plans to run as a political party and would throw its support behind Palmer’s United Australia Party instead.

Ms Smit has an international following, recently appearing on prominent far-right American conspiracy theorist Alex Jones′ online show and released an “SOS” video where she called for countries to put economic pressure on Australia for its lockdown measures.

In a video explaining her decision last month to merge Reignite Democracy Australia with Mr Palmer’s party, Ms Smit said Mr Kelly had been a mentor for her as far back as last November while he was still a Liberal MP.

“We’ve been in constant communication,” she said.

She said while she “loved” Pauline Hanson and Malcolm Roberts, Mr Palmer’s party was “just gaining a lot more momentum”, and said joining UAP was a relief as it had more resources than her own organisation.

“Now that Craig Kelly and Clive Palmer are creating so much momentum with UAP. It just seems it seems like RDA Party became just kind of not as important.”

Ms Smit said her organisation could support other small parties, in addition to the UAP.

“My message [to my followers] is I don’t care who you vote for, as long as you don’t vote for the majors,” she said, warning Mr Palmer against sending preferences to the LNP.

“If Clive Palmer preferences the Liberals, he will lose a lot of support from his current audience,” she said.

ABC election analyst Antony Green said it was unclear how the toxic week in Victorian politics, which has included threats aimed at MPs, would affect the lead-up to the federal election.

“I’m not sure how this will play out, I don’t think the Prime Minister does either,” he said. “Clive Palmer’s been running a very strange anti-vaccination campaign, given we’re talking about 90 per cent vaccination rates in this country.”

“Last Queensland election in 2020 Palmer got virtually no votes pushing an anti-vaccine message,” he said. “Legalise Cannabis got more than him with a fraction the budget.”

Mr Green said Palmer’s preferences were split down the middle for Labor and Liberal at the 2013 election, while last in 2019 he campaigned “ferociously” against Labor.

He said UAP’s messaging was more important than who it preferenced on its how to vote cards.

”Most people never see their how to vote card - what matters is the message [UAP] get across,” Mr Green said.

A spokesman for the United Australia Party said the party had more than 80,000 members, claiming it was “the largest political membership in the country” and was undertaking vetting and police checks of nominated candidates.

“We haven’t decided on preferences just yet, but we have said that you can’t trust the Liberals, the Labor Party or the Greens.“

He would not reveal when endorsed candidates would be made public.

Mr Kelly did not respond to requests for comment.

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