Some Young Libs Actually Sold A Piece Of Coal From The Carmichael Mine At Their Fundraising Ball
The woeful piece of coal apparently went for $2,600.
In the same week the IPCC released an inordinately depressing climate change report, we’ve also learned that the ACT Young Liberals sold off a piece of coal from the Carmichael coal mine at their fundraising ball. The mine is run by Bravus Mining, formally known as Adani.
The ACT Young Liberals Midwinter Ball was attended by Liberal MP Kevin Andrews, who gave the keynote speech, and ACT Liberals leader Elizabeth Lee. Tickets cost $160 for members, and between $200 and $600 for corporate sponsorship. The gig was apparently kicked off by Liberal senator Zed Seselja saying grace before the meal.
According to The Australian, the festivities also included an auction, in which an attendee allegedly payed $2,600 for the lump of coal.
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ACT Greens leader Shane Rattenbury told RenewEconomy he found the whole story insulting. “I can’t tell which I find more insulting – the fact that the organisers thought this was a good idea or the purchaser who paid an average person’s fortnightly income for it,” said Rattenbury.
“Either way, it is openly mocking the climate crisis that Australia and the world faces. I’d like to see the Canberra Liberal members in attendance to disavow this behaviour, and agree that climate change, burning fossil fuels and the Adani mine are matters to take seriously, not to laugh at.”
Members of the ACT Young Liberals have sparked controversy in the past. Former ACT Young Liberals President Josh Manuatu argued during his tenure in 2016 that Sonia Kruger was right to call for a ban on Muslim immigration. He also allegedly obtained and leaked false information which claimed the City of Sydney spent nearly $16m on travel, when the actual figure was less than $6000, according to The Australian.
Manuatu was a staffer for the Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction Angus Taylor at the time of the controversy, and is now a senior advisor for the Liberal Party.