The Guardian - Krishani Dhanji Josh Butler
Some MPs received more than 100 emails within 48 hours
from the same address criticising the party’s energy policy
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| Opposition leader Sussan Ley and the shadow minister for energy Dan Tehan, who is reviewing the Coalition’s energy policy. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP |
Liberal MPs have been sent a barrage of emails demanding they drop net zero targets or “risk losing our support” by a group connected to conservative right-wing lobby group Advance.
The mass emails, seen by Guardian Australia, have been sent to multiple Liberals by Whitestone Strategic, a secretive political consultancy group, and come as the Coalition reviews its energy policy.
Coalition MPs began receiving the emails – which one described as looking as if they were sent by AI bots – on Monday night. Some MPs received more than 100 within 48 hours from the same address.
One of the emails reads: “A message to the Liberal Party and Nationals: Net Zero is causing irreversible damage to our nation. Our economic health is declining … immediate action is required. Dump Net Zero policies now, or we will stop supporting your agenda.”
Another reads: “Net Zero is a dangerous joke. It’s time to dump it, or we’ll dump you.”
The email sender appears to be Whitestone Strategic but the email address is listed as CiviClick – a US-based platform that describes itself as AI-powered grassroots advocacy software that allows users to “reach elected officials with powerful policy messages”.
A Guardian Australia investigation in October revealed Whitestone Strategic’s close ties to Advance, the rightwing advocacy group behind the main organisation promoting a no vote in the Indigenous voice referendum, Fair Australia.
A separate investigation also found Whitestone Strategic billed taxpayers almost $135,000 over two years for work providing media messaging for conservative politicians during the voice to parliament campaign. Whitestone Strategic’s work for Coalition members has extended beyond the voice campaign.
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| An email sent to Liberal MPs that appears to be sent from Whitestone Strategic. |
None of the emails, sent since Monday, are addressed directly to the politician, or signed off by a member of the public. Many of the dozens of emails received by MPs contain the same message and some contain what appears to be coding left in unintentionally.
Advance announced on 8 August it would launch a campaign targeting “weakling” Liberals, by pressuring them to drop their support for net zero by 2050. On 15 August, it said its supporters had sent 19,897 emails to Coalition MPs and senators.
Several members who received the emails expressed frustration over the tactic.
One Liberal, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said they received at least 50 emails in 24 hours, none directly addressed to them.
“The policy review process is important, we must take the time to do it right,” they said.
“We cannot be distracted by external groups with their own agendas.”
Another Liberal, who asked not to be named, derided the emails and said they looked as if they had been sent by “AI bots”, due to multiples of the same message being sent. This MP, who said they were previously supportive of Whitestone’s work, said “Why can’t Whitestone get this stuff right?”.
Liberal senator for South Australia Andrew McLachlan, a vocal supporter of net zero and climate action, confirmed he’d received dozens of emails from Whitestone Strategic over the last 48 hours.
He said maintaining emissions reduction targets is critical and said he would continue to advocate for the target.
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