A right-leaning advocacy group that claims to protect the “Australian way of life” has opened up about its plan to bring down one of the country’s major political parties. Advance Australia argues the Greens have taken “extreme” positions on the environment and other social issues, and it’s working to raise a $5 million war chest to fight the party.
The Greens Truth online advertising and social media campaign began in May, and comes off the back of Advance Australia’s backing of the 'No' vote in the 2023 referendum to give Indigenous people a voice in parliament. The new plan is to counter the growing popularity of the Greens ahead of the 2025 election.
Advance Australia remains largely secretive about who its major backers are, and has revealed few details about its objectives which it claims are directed by "mainstream values". However its newly installed spokesperson Sandra Bourke, a former law enforcement officer, agreed to talk with Yahoo News about her group's opposition to the Greens' policies.
She argues there’s been a “mad rush” in Australia towards renewables and what the country needs is “a sensible, rational mix” of energy sources, and that nuclear should be considered. “We need to pause, sit down and have a national conversation about where our renewable projects are going. I also think it’s morally reprehensible that nuclear isn’t on the table,” she said.
Bourke would not be drawn on who should pay for nuclear projects, which the CSIRO found would cost $17 billion and take more than 15 years to build. “That's a question that we would need to ask the Australian people. But we have not had an opportunity to have that discussion,” she said.
Are there problems with renewable energy?
Bourke’s call for a rethink of renewables was sparked by a proposal to build an offshore wind farm near her home on the NSW Mid North Coast. Now she argues the rush to build renewable energy projects like wind and solar is resulting in environmental damage.
Bourke is particularly concerned about projects in Australia's north, where several are facing federal assessment over their impact on threatened species. And she has questioned why the Greens haven’t been more vocal about the issue. “Why have we seen them not speak up on behalf of any of the reckless renewables projects where we're seeing intensive logging happening,” she added.
However, when asked where Advance Australia sits on native forest logging in general, which destroys more habitat than renewable energy projects, Bourke refused to respond.
Advance Australia isn’t the only group worried about the impact of some renewables projects. Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek blocked plans by the Victorian government to build a wind farm near a RAMSAR wetland, and Apple pulled out of a separate joint venture with billionaire Andrew Forrest over concerns it would impact koalas and other endangered populations of native animals.
However, climate change, which is directly caused by the burning of fossil fuels like coal and gas and must be replaced by other energy sources, is a major threat to the survival of wildlife around the world. Its impact directly influenced the severity of the 2019/2022 Black Summer bushfires, killing around 60,000 koalas and leading to populations in NSW and Queensland being listed as endangered.
But its harm is clearly more widespread than a single event. And last week, former NSW Fire Commissioner Greg Mullins warned by 2040 the extreme conditions Australia experienced during Black Summer will be normal.
Greens respond to Advance Australia attack
Responding to questions from Yahoo News, the Greens’ leader Adam Bandt issued a statement saying his party has the “strongest voices in parliament for the climate and for the environment”.
"Labor wants a future for coal and gas past 2050, while the Liberals are in fantasy land with nuclear," he said
"Voters want strong climate action, and are fed up with the major parties backing destructive fossil fuel projects… There can be no new coal or gas projects approved if we’re to avoid climate collapse. You can’t put the fire out if you’re pouring petrol on it."
Is it only the Greens' renewables policy that Advance Australia doesn't like?
There is little public information available about the founding of Advance Australia or who its 23 staff members are. But its directors include Vicky Dunne, a former long-time ACT Liberal MP, as well as Matthew Sheahan and Laura Bradley, of which little is known. And reporting to ASIC shows it spent over $4 million in payments to suppliers and employees, and had assets of over $3 million at the end of the last financial year.
Its stated mission is “to campaign to promote freedom, prosperity, and security in Australia and to counter threats that undermine these values”, and to bring together a community of people who hold "Judeo-Christian values".
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Advance Australia's opposition to the Greens extends beyond the environment, and Bourke is outspoken about the party's stance on immigration, drug enforcement and Israel.
“A lot of policies that we're seeing from the Greens seem to almost have hatred of Western civilisation and some of its positive values,” Bourke claimed.
She’s also particularly scathing of the Greens' policy of implementing a tax on dynastic wealth — a measure that would be solely targeted at those bequeathing or gifting large amounts.
“Re-taxing people who've already worked hard their whole lives as an inheritance tax isn't really fair in the Australian sense,” she said.
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