United Australia senator Ralph Babet posts racist, homophobic slurs

United Australia Party senator Ralph Babet has posted a series of slurs online after sharing a video of misogynistic internet provocateur Andrew Tate crowing about Donald Trump’s victory in the US presidential election, prompting condemnation from the Greens.

The fringe senator, elected at a cost to mining billionaire Clive Palmer of $116 million, made the sexist, homophobic and ableist remarks on Elon Musk’s platform X, where right-wing influencers have celebrated the US election as normalising offensive speech.

Senator Ralph Babet, a real estate agent before entering politics, posted racial and homophobic slurs to X.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

Babet shared a clip on Monday of Tate giving a live-streamed “emergency meeting” speech about the political landscape changing as “gatekeepers are losing their power” over the economy, information and politics.

“In my house we say phaggot [sic], retard and n----r,” Babet wrote in the caption. “We are sick of you woke ass clowns. Cry more. Write an article. Tweet about me. No one cares what you think.”

Australian National University political marketing expert Andrew Hughes said Babet was trying to get attention with his post, inspired by Trump’s successful campaign.

“It’s harder and harder to get people engaged in politics; what [Babet] is doing is using fear and anger,” Hughes said. “More often it’s anger at the moment. He wants people to be angry, to feel they’re not heard.”

In additional posts, Babet discussed the US election, banning puberty blockers that are a treatment used by children suffering gender dysphoria, and a video of him in a shooting range. The last post was captioned: “I’m always on target. I never miss.”

Greens leader Adam Bandt condemned the comments as “hate-filled tactics” imported from the United States. “Despicable comments like these hurt people and should be condemned,” he said in a statement.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton’s office did not respond to a request for comment, while the prime minister’s office declined to comment.

Tate, whose video Babet reposted, is facing human-trafficking and rape charges in Romania, which he is contesting.

Babet was the only senator elected from Palmer’s campaign at the 2022 election in which he spent an estimated $116 million on advertising.

The make-up of the Senate means Babet has scant influence on legislation, but he has styled himself as a free-thinking, anti-establishment politician modelled on culture-war figures from overseas, often commenting on topics such as abortion and internet regulation.

He attended controversial protests at the Victorian parliament when activists tried to stop the state government’s COVID-19 legislation and mandates.

Babet previously reposted graphic vision of the Sydney church stabbing, which the eSafety Commission ordered to be taken down, posting the video with a caption: “To the Australian government and the eSafety commissioner, go f--- yourselves.” Musk’s X challenged the take-down order and won.

Babet and Palmer’s spokesmen were contacted for comment.

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