I recently came across a fascinating thread on Twitter, from Dr Jeremy Walker, of the University of Technology Sydney. Dr Walker researches across the disciplines of political economy, geography, and science and technology studies. His current research focuses on “the history of neoliberal economic theory and government in relation to energy transition and climate justice”.
He had some very revealing things to say about the links between opposition to the Voice to Parliament and the fossil fuel industry. Those who are behind the scenes, funding the public opposition to the Voice, are right wing characters who have been active for many decades, now, in defending the industries of, first tobacco, and then fossil fuels, and in promoting climate denialism. They are a most unsavoury bunch; unfortunately, they are well-connected with regard to money, media, and conservatives with high public profiles.
They are precisely the sort of people that I do not wish to pay attention to, or to give any credence to what they say, coming from their own vested personal interest. But what Dr Walker has written, about those supporting the public advocates of the No cause, is disturbing. It is worth reading. With his permission, I have extracted and summarised from his postings on Twitter, in what follows:
“The anti-Voice campaign is being run by the Australian branch of the global Atlas Network, comprised of 500+ neoliberal ‘research institutes’. One notable member of this Atlas Network is the “Centre for Independent Studies” (CIS), which fosters the careers of Warren Mundine and Jacinta Nampijinpa Price. Evidence suggests they speak not with the authority of any First Nations community but for fossil fuel/mining corporates.
“Big Oil ‘think thanks’ which are funded by the Atlas Network are usually run by the elite members of the invitation-only Mont Pelerin Society. John Howard is one such member. A key Australian Atlas organiser, and central to climate science denial and policy defeat in recent years in Australia, was mining lobbyist Hugh Morgan, who begins meetings “acknowledging the traditional owners of this country: King George III, his heirs and assigns.”
“The Atlas-affiliated “Institute of Public Affairs” (IPA) was established in 1943 by Keith Murdoch, with funding from RioTinto and BHP. Since then, the IPA, funded by Rupert and coal baron Gina, has had many oil, gas and mining execs on its board, and it also runs anti-climate & anti-Voice campaigns.
“In Canada, Atlas units defeated laws to recognise First Nations rights established under the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), to protect their oils and their corporate profits. Very similar tactics are now in play in Australia. Atlas has also been implicated in the election of far-right, neofascist anti-Indigenous govts in South America—for instance, Balsonaro in Brazil.
“In the UK, climate protestors now face major jail sentences, which was unheard of only a year or two back. Apparently activists are forbidden from even saying in court why they protest—that is, there is to be no mention of a climate emergency allowed as a defence. This authoritarian turn in policing by the UK Tory government was prompted by an Exxon funded Atlas-linked unit called Policy Exchange.
“Listed among the registered owners of Policy Exchange are Howard’s foreign minister Alexander Downer, and David Frum, George W. Bush speechwriter. Another Atlas-linked organisation in the UK is the science denial and anti-climate policy unit, the Global Warming Policy Foundation. Look who is the new board director: ex-Australian PM Tony Abbott.”
These are the people and the organisations that are pushing people to vote No in the forthcoming referendum. It is outrageous! There have been decades of conspiracy and underhand dealings in relation to protecting fossil fuel. It is a shameful and tragic story which is continuing now in the anti-Voice agitation. All the more reason why we need to Vote YES!
Dr Jeremy Walker is acting director of the Climate, Society and Environment Research Centre (C-SERC) based in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at UTS, and a member of the international Climate Social Science Network (CSSN) based at Brown University (USA). He is the author of More Heat than Life: the Tangled Roots of Ecology, Energy and Economics (2020, Palgrave).
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There is a comprehensive exposé of the Atlas Network at
https://www.desmog.com/atlas-economic-research-foundation/
An Informed Faith 