Australia needs to develop nuclear weapons and stop ‘vilifying’ Russia, says Liberal candidate

Australia should develop nuclear weapons to deter China and forge new friendship with Moscow, according to Liberal candidate Gerard Rennick.

LNP senate candidate Gerard Rennick has said he took “with a grain a salt” the British government’s finding that Russian agents were responsible for Salisbury chemical weapons attack in March that poisoned four UK residents, killing one.

Australia should consider developing nuclear weapons to deter Chinese aggression, according to an aspiring Liberal senator who has also urged the nation to stop “vilifying” Russia and forge new friendship with Moscow.

Queenslander Gerard Rennick, 47, who holds the winnable third position on the Liberal Nationals’ upper-house ballot paper, has also espoused a “protectionist nationalist” economic policy that would inflict higher taxes on profits sent offshore.

Mr Rennick cautioned the government against continuing to “outsource” Australia’s defence to Washington and favoured an “independent deterrent” built on nuclear missiles.

“The rising influence of the Chinese … keeps me awake at night,” the financial manager told The Australian in Brisbane.

“It goes back to Machiavelli’s The Prince. He said ‘never rely on mercenaries’, but we rely on mercenaries for capital, we rely on them for labour and we effectively rely on them for defence in the ANZUS treaty.

“Projectiles are the answer to our defence, not mano a mano, because we’re outnumbered by China.”

Mr Rennick, a self-described Russophile, said Australians should remember the Russians’ sacrifices to defend Europe in World War Two and the Napoleonic Wars.

“I hate it when we vilify the Russians because they’ve always been an ally of ours. Going forward they will be one of our key allies in terms of standing up to China,” he said.

“They don’t want to be hated. I mean, they’re part of the West: they drink, they’re Christians, they play soccer, they’re caucasians, they have very similar customs and values to us.”

Mr Rennick said NATO had upset Moscow by encroaching on the sphere of influence within the former Soviet Union it believed Russia was promised when the USSR collapsed in 1991.

“I’m happy to cede to Russia that sphere of influence,” Mr Rennick said.

“They are a genuine superpower and it’s not in the world’s interest to have antagonistic relations with superpowers.”

Mr Rennick acknowledged it would be “hard to overcome” the 2014 downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 over Ukraine which killed 298 people, including 28 Australians. However, he said, it was important to “start building bridges”.

“There’s a bigger picture here and it is world peace. Let’s just keep a level head and be a little bit non-emotional,” he said.

Mr Rennick said he took “with a grain a salt” the British government’s finding that Russian agents were responsible for Salisbury chemical weapons attack in March that poisoned four UK residents, killing one.

On the war in Syria, where Vladimir Putin’s forces are assisting dictator Bashar al-Assad, Mr Rennick said: “We are still in Syria … to get rid of terrorists. Well, isn’t that what Bashar Assad is trying to do? Why aren’t we working with him?”

A United Nations commission of inquiry in March found Syrian forces and allied militias had engaged in war crimes and crimes against humanity including mass executions and sexual violence against women, girls and men in communities that opposed the government.

On economic policy, Mr Rennick said he favoured a “protectionist nationalist” form of capitalism that aimed to retain wealth in Australia rather than becoming too dependent on overseas capital.

He said this could include a higher withholding tax to discourage money being sent offshore to low-tax jurisdictions, funding cuts to lower company and personal income taxes.

He also argued for the abolition of payroll tax, funded by a 1.5 per cent levy on share-trading.

The Coalition has elected at least three Queensland senators at 12 of the last 13 elections.

At this election, Mr Rennick likely faces a three-cornered contest for the Senate with Katter’s Australian Party senator Fraser Anning — a self-described “racist” who wants a referendum on reinstating the White Australia Policy — and disqualified One Nation senator Malcolm Roberts, who believes a cabal of bankers and bureaucrats are using fabricated climate data to pursue world domination.