Senator
Ralph Babet
Senator for Victoria
Assumed office
1 July 2022
Personal details
Born (1983-06-29) 29 June 1983 (age 40)
Rodrigues, Mauritius
Nationality
Political partyUnited Australia (since 2022)
Other political
affiliations		Australian Sovereignty Party (2010)
EducationSt John's Regional College
Alma materSwinburne University of Technology
Occupation
  • Real estate agent
  • Politician
WebsiteOfficial website
NicknameDeej

Ralph Emmanuel Didier "Deej" Babet[2] (/bəˈbɛt/ bə-BET;[3] born 29 June 1983) is an Australian politician and a member of the United Australia Party. He was elected to represent Victoria in the Australian Senate at the 2022 Australian federal election, commencing his six-year term on 1 July 2022.

Early life and career

Babet was born on 29 June 1983 in Rodrigues, Mauritius.[4] He and his family migrated to Australia in 1990 when he was seven years old, and he became an Australian citizen in 1993. He spoke French as his first language.[5]

Babet grew up in Doveton, attending the Holy Family Catholic Primary School and later St John's Regional College in Dandenong.[6] He holds the degree of Bachelor of Business from Swinburne University of Technology and an advanced diploma in sales and marketing from the Chisholm Institute.[4]

On Christmas Day 2014 in Toorak, Babet was charged with criminal damage. On 6 March 2017, a criminal damage charge was recorded but no conviction was given by the Melbourne Magistrates' Court: he was instead ordered to participate in a diversion program.[7]

On 6 September 2015, he was charged with unlawful assault in South Melbourne. Babet pleaded guilty to the charges at the Melbourne Magistrates Court on 22 August 2018. In exchange for Babet's compliance with a bond/undertaking, the charges were dismissed.[8]

Together with his brother Matt, Babet runs a real estate firm.[9] His brother unsuccessfully contested the seat of Bruce in the 2022 federal election.[2]

Political career

Babet was on the committee of the Australian Sovereignty Party in 2010. The party never contested any elections.[10]

Babet renounced his Mauritian citizenship in March 2022, just under a month before the federal election was called to avoid being disqualified from the Australian Parliament by Section 44 of the Constitution of Australia.

While United Australia Party Chairman Clive Palmer ran a candidate in every seat and spent a reported $100,000,000 on the campaign, Babet was the sole success for the UAP at the 2022 federal election by taking the sixth Victorian senate seat from the Liberal Party's Greg Mirabella.[11] According to psephologist Antony Green's analysis of the Victorian Senate Election, Babet's win was due to strong One Nation preference flows once One Nation was excluded.[12] Green went on to say that once Babet was ahead he could lose only if Mirabella's preferences flowed to Labor, which was unlikely since the Coalition's how-to-vote card had recommended second preference to the United Australia Party.

On 8 September 2022, the United Australia Party was voluntarily deregistered by the Australian Electoral Commission.[13] Babet stated the deregistration was made for "administrative reasons" and that he would continue to represent the deregistered party in the Senate.[14] Babet is able to continue identifying as a United Australia Party member in the Senate, with the office of the Clerk of the Senate stating that Babet’s status as a UAP senator would not change until he advised the office otherwise.[13]

On 9 September 2023, Babet launched a bid in the Federal Court to force the AEC to acknowledge crosses as a no vote for the Indigenous Voice referendum.[15] On 20 September 2023 Justice Steven Rares ruled in favour of the AEC on merits, and ordered Babet and the co-applicant Palmer to pay the AEC's costs.[16]

On 9 October 2023, Babet and Palmer appealed the case with the full Federal Court and lost unanimously.[17] Justice Anthony Besanko ordered costs be paid.

Political views

Babet says that he stands for freedom and individual liberties.[18] He is against vaccine mandates and the "ever-growing power and authoritarianism of the government",[19] and he believes the mandates are "segregation".[20] He says he is unvaccinated for COVID-19, considering the vaccine to be "emergency gene therapy".[21]

During the campaign he said his first order of business will be to push for a Bill of Rights.[22] Once a Greens voter,[21] he now considers the ideology of the Greens to be "cancerous to a free and open society".[23] He does not consider the science of climate change to be "settled" or believe that humans are responsible for the cause.[21] He claims that there is an equal number of scientists on either side of the debate.[24] On energy solutions he believes "solar panels and batteries are bad for the environment".[25]

Babet says he is "not happy" with transgender issues being taught at schools, saying he disagrees with "little boys and girls being taught that you can be a boy one day and a girl the next day".[26]

Babet has promoted a number of conspiracy theories, including that the 2022 election was going to be rigged,[2] that the Great Reset initiative of the World Economic Forum is a plot to create a tyrannical world government[27] and is "trying to do away with the concept of private ownership".[21]

Babet has been openly critical of the "billionaire circus" that he perceives to be the World Economic Forum, while at the same time praising some billionaires including Clive Palmer, who funded the electoral campaign which won Babet's seat, and Elon Musk.[28] In his opening Senate speech, Babet spoke of his disdain for 'radical Marxists'.[29]

Babet considers his $200,000 salary a "pay cut" and believes that it is too little for the "suffering" that he will endure in parliament and that he would "be happier" staying in Narre Warren running his real estate business.[20]

Babet opposed the Voice to Parliament.[30]

Despite holding some libertarian values, Babet considers voluntary euthanasia "murder", calling it a "darkness that will engulf us all".[31]

Babet attended the two week Australian Defence Force Parliamentary program in 2023, but was criticised by the Australian Defence Association for his publication of photos wearing military uniform for blurring the lines between politics and armed forces.[32] Veterans group Australian Defence Association president said "misusing the parliamentary exchange program is disgraceful", and that his frequent publication of military wear was "cosplaying".

Personal life

Babet is Catholic.[21]

References

  1. ^ "Qualification Checklist – Ralph Babet" (PDF). aec.gov.au. Australian Electoral Commission (AEC).
  2. ^ a b c Wilson, Cam (20 June 2022). "Meet Ralph Babet, Clive Palmer acolyte and Victoria's newest senator". Crikey. Archived from the original on 20 June 2022. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
  3. ^ Babet Brothers (25 July 2018). "Should you sell your house in this declining market or should you wait..." Retrieved 18 May 2023 – via YouTube.
  4. ^ a b "Senator Ralph Babet". aph.gov.au. Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
  5. ^ "Maiden Speech". Hansard. Parliament of Australia. 3 August 2022. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
  6. ^ Ralph Babet [@senatorbabet] (1 November 2021). "I WASN'T BORN HERE. MY FAMILY BROUGHT ME HERE FOR A BETTER LIFE. THEY ARE TAKING IT FROM ME. I SAY NO!!! 😠 Here is a very short clip from my candidate application video with the United Australia Party" – via Instagram.
  7. ^ Buckley, John (20 June 2022). "An Election Fraud Conspiracy Theorist Has Been Elected to the Australian Senate". Vice.
  8. ^ Eddie, Rachel (20 May 2022). "Socialists, separatists and splinter groups - your Victorian Senate ticket guide". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
  9. ^ "Babet Brothers Real Estate – We are the Babet Brothers!". Retrieved 20 June 2022.
  10. ^ "Introducing the Australian Sovereignty Party".
  11. ^ "Meet Clive Palmer's $100m man". Australian Financial Review. 20 June 2022. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
  12. ^ Green, Antony (4 June 2022). "2022 Victorian Senate Election". Antony Green's Election Blog. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  13. ^ a b Visentin, Lisa (9 September 2022). "'Where are you seeing that?' Deregistration of UAP catches Palmer's senator by surprise". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 9 September 2022.
  14. ^ Butler, Josh (9 September 2022). "Clive Palmer's United Australia party deregistered but lone senator says he still represents it". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 September 2022.
  15. ^ Whitbourn, Michaela (9 September 2023). "Palmer launches court bid to force AEC to count 'X' as 'No' in Voice vote". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
  16. ^ Visontay, Elias; Wind, Emily; Visontay (now), Elias; Wind (earlier), Emily (20 September 2023). "Australia news live: Central Land Council executive condemns Jacinta Price's 'denial of history'; Alan Joyce paid $21.4m in 2022-23". the Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
  17. ^ "Court rejects Palmer appeal over tick for Yes". Australian Financial Review. 9 October 2023. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
  18. ^ "He spent up to $100 million to win maybe one seat. What happened to Clive Palmer's party this election?". SBS News. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
  19. ^ Koob, Simone Fox (22 May 2022). "Clive Palmer candidate could be Victorian senator thanks to Liberal preferences". The Age. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
  20. ^ a b Gould, Courtney (24 June 2022). "'Suffering': New senator Ralph Babet's whinge about $200k payday". news.com.au. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
  21. ^ a b c d e Bonyhady, Annika Smethurst, Nick (8 July 2022). "Clive Palmer's $100 million senator reveals his political agenda". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 10 July 2022.((cite web)): CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  22. ^ FULL DEBATE: Victorian freedom candidates fight for your vote on YouTube
  23. ^ @ralphdeejbabet (16 May 2022). "The ideology of the greens is cancerous to a free and open society. We do not and will never support their ideology. We believe in freedom not totalitarianism" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 16 May 2022 – via Twitter.
  24. ^ Mike Ryan (5 July 2022). "Senator Ralph Babet & John Parsons on The Mike Ryan Show". The Mike Ryan Show (Podcast). TNT Radio. Event occurs at 19:30. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
  25. ^ Ralph Babet [@senatorbabet] (24 July 2022). "Solar panels and batteries are bad for the environment. Think about what goes into these products and how short their useful life is" (Tweet). Retrieved 25 July 2022 – via Twitter.
  26. ^ Mike Ryan (5 July 2022). "Senator Ralph Babet & John Parsons on The Mike Ryan Show". The Mike Ryan Show (Podcast). TNT Radio. Event occurs at 13:00. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
  27. ^ "An Election Fraud Conspiracy Theorist Has Been Elected to the Australian Senate". www.vice.com. 20 June 2022. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
  28. ^ Wilson, Cam (20 June 2022). "Ralph Babet: conspiracy theorist, anti-lockdown advocate, and new senator". Crikey. Retrieved 26 August 2022.
  29. ^ Giannini, Dominic (3 August 2022). "Palmer senator hits out at political class | Sound Telegraph". Sound Telegraph. Retrieved 26 August 2022.
  30. ^ "Voice of racism". The Spectator Australia. 25 January 2023.
  31. ^ Senator Babet [@senatorbabet] (5 July 2023). "Our society is almost lost. Our moral compass is broken. We have devalued human life to the point whereby murder is now legalised and normalised" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 5 July 2023. Retrieved 6 July 2023 – via Twitter.
  32. ^ "UAP senator accused of politicising the military after posing in air force uniform". SBS News. Retrieved 4 December 2023.

External links

Crossbench members of the Australian Senate
Current members of the Australian Senate
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