Matt Canavan claims ‘there are only two genders’

There are only two genders, and children do best with a married mother and father — these are the core messages that attendees at a conservative conference over the weekend have been urged to promote.

Those attending Saturday’s CPAC (Conservative Political Action Conference) event in Sydney’s Darling Harbor were told to stand up for truths that were once “obvious.”

North Queensland Liberal National Party Senator Matt Canavan received a rousing round of applause after telling the CPAC public who the “truth tellers” were and how to spot them.

“It’s very easy to tell who the truth tellers are,” Senator Canavan said.

“They now have an adjective, they are called ‘cancelled’.

“Anyone who ‘canceled’ you is pretty sure they’re telling the truth.”

Senator Canavan outlined a series of truths he believed it took “courage” to say.

“The truth is you can’t run an industrial economy on an energy system that is weather dependent,” he said.

“The truth is billions of people will starve if we turn our backs on fossil fuels, billions!”

“The truth is that climate change policies are a scam, perpetuated by Western corporations and instigated by communist and former communist dictators.

“The truth is that the Chinese Communist Party has never obeyed international laws, including trade and climate laws, and they have stolen thousands of our manufacturing jobs because they can get away with it.

“The truth is that the most important job in our society is that of a mother and a father and that children do better when they are raised by a mother and father who stay married.

“And after all, there are only two sexes.”

Senator Canavan said these are things kids should be taught.

It was a theme also picked up by former Prime Minister Tony Abbott, who also spoke at the conference.

“I’m clearly out of step with the modern world,” Abbott said.

‘I don’t like the climate cult, I don’t like the virus hysteria. I can’t understand the gender fluidity pressure.’

He told a story about knocking on the door in his former electorate of Warringah, on Sydney’s northern beaches, and being told by a woman she couldn’t vote for him because her children were against his stance on climate change.

Mr Abbott said he asked the woman ‘who is the adult?’

“I think we’ve been remarkably shy about being the adults we should be,” Abbott said.

According to Abbott, the challenge for conservatives has been to curb government interference in people’s lives.

“That means lowering regulations so that good people can get the most out of their lives without having to answer for everything from the color of their heat-reflective phones to the pronouns they use,” he said.

A small group of protesters gathered outside the CPAC event accused those in attendance of being “fascists,” “anti-queer” and “transphobes.”

At one point, the police had to separate the protesters from a CPAC participant, who came into their midst along with a camera crew.

Police also blocked protesters when they attempted to storm the Darling Harbor International Convention Center, where CPAC was held, through a rear entrance.

In the audience, international speakers claimed that conservatives lacked the courage to stand up for their values.

British political commentator and former pro-Brexit party leader Nigel Farage claimed he had been approached during his week in Australia by numerous locals complaining about a lack of principled politicians.

“Everywhere I go, ordinary and decent Australians come up to me and say they are concerned about the future of their country,” Farage told CPAC attendees.

“They are concerned about what Australia is becoming and they cannot believe the lack of conservative courage and leadership.”

“They say ‘we want Australia back’.”

Farage said those on the left of the political spectrum have taken over schools and the media.

“They’re trying to take down everything Western civilization has ever stood for,” Farage said.

“We tell eight-year-old kids that if you’re white, you’re guilty, you’re an oppressor, you should be ashamed of your family, your history, your country, your culture.”

Farage said people were told to “get on their knees” and “bow down” to things like Black Lives Matter, but he wouldn’t.

He went so far as to call former Liberal Prime Minister Scott Morrison “a cowardly coward” for being bullied over the UN’s climate goals at the Glasgow conference at the end of 2021.

The former leader of the British Independence Party was equally ruthless towards his former partner in successful campaigning for Brexit, Boris Johnson, who was recently ousted as UK Prime Minister.

“Boris has really damaged the Conservative brand, has let everyone down,” Farage said from the CPAC podium.

‘It is a pity. He had the world at his feet, he just wasn’t able to tell the truth. He’s never really been conservative.’

Farage even accused Johnson of being “manipulated” by his wife, Carrie Johnson.

“Looks like Boris has been very, very manipulated by his new wife—Carrie Antoinette is her name,” Mr Farage said, dropping a reference to the last queen of France, Marie Antoinette.

Marie Antoinette is best known for the story, which may not be true, in which she sarcastically said ‘let them eat cake’ to starving peasants who demanded bread before the monarchy was bloodily overthrown during the French Revolution.

Farage said he couldn’t even be sure Johnson was a conservative.

“There are a lot of things we just don’t know about Boris, including how many children he has,” he said.

This was a reference to Mr Johnson’s very messy love life which included many admitted affairs.

Farage claimed credit for ousting former British Prime Minister Theresa May by successfully running UKIP candidates against the Conservative Party in the 2019 European Parliament elections.

“For me, getting rid of Theresa May as Prime Minister is one of my proudest achievements,” he said.

The rallying cry for conservatives to stand up for their values ​​was also picked up by a visit to US speaker Matthew Whitaker, who was acting attorney general in the Trump administration.

Whitaker said he was struck by the similarity of opportunities and challenges in the US and Australia as the ‘left’ tried to erode conservative values.

“It’s really a similar fight, a similar fight that we all have to get involved in,” he said.

“The left is on the rise, the government wants to expand and freedom-loving people like you and me and our compatriots are what are left to stand in the breach and defend that freedom.”