Deep-seated anger inside the Liberal Party following the Voice referendum spilled over at a conference with guests booing a member’s Acknowledgment of Country.
New South Wales Liberal state executive member Michelle Bishop stood before the Liberal Party conference, A New Hope, in Sydney on Saturday and shakily delivered the first part of her acknowledgement.
‘I just wanted to acknowledge that we are on the land of the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation – ,’ she said.
Her speech was then interrupted by rounds of booing from the crowd, but she continued: ‘ – and acknowledge our traditional owners.’
Some 600 Liberal members attended the conference at the Fullerton Hotel – but the party blamed the disturbing response on a ‘small clump’ of attendees.
NSW Liberal state executive member Michelle Bishop (above) was booed during a land acknowledgement on Saturday
The boos were the second unfortunate mishap of the night with protesters in hazmat suits earlier storming the event.
Liberal Party members and supporters watched on as a group of men entered the conference lobby in Sydney, claiming to be Mr Dutton.
A video uploaded to the South Coast Labour Council Facebook page showed two men dressed in white full-body suits with radiation hazard symbols and signs reading ‘Dutton MP for Fukushima’ and ‘Nukes ‘R’ Us’.
‘We have a special announcement from the leader of the opposition, Member for Fukushima, Peter Dutton,’ one protester said about the disruption.
Ms Bishop (above) finished her land acknowledgement through the booing at the Liberal Party’s Sydney conference
Disgruntled members off camera could be heard yelling ‘p*** off’ to the group of men as they continued their performance.
‘I’m sorry we haven’t supported Save the Whales before, but we are going to save the whales from those pesky wind farms downstairs,’ a protester pretending to be Mr Dutton said.
The men spent minutes declaring their support for nuclear energy and opposition to a ceasefire in the Israel-Palestine conflict before they were escorted out of the conference chanting ‘Nukes ‘R’ Us, Nukes ‘R’ Us.’
Following the protest, Mr Dutton took to the podium to outline his plan to ‘start a conversation’ about nuclear energy in Australia.
He said most Australians didn’t understand the basics of nuclear energy, which he argued could greatly benefit Australia if implemented correctly.
The conference was stormed by protesters in hazmat suits (above) against a proposed nuclear power plant on the South Coast
‘Most people were influenced by the incidence of Chernobyl and elsewhere, some people in the research were influenced by The Simpsons,’ the Opposition Leader said.
‘If you’ve watched The Simpsons, some of the research work demonstrated that people didn’t want a Springfield going up in their backyard.’
Mr Dutton was critical of the government’s recent energy schemes, saying the Australian taxpayer will be ‘on the hook for years’ as a result of mismanagement.
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