By Parker McKenzie
Outgoing MP for Eastern Victoria Region Cathrine Burnett-Wake raised concern about the risk of extremist groups during her valedictorian speech on Wednesday 21 September, condemned their influence on politics and warning “ordinary Victorians need to awaken to the threat.”
Ms Burnett-Wake has worked on three parliamentary inquiries since becoming an Upper House MP in November 2021: into the criminal justice system, children affected by parental incarceration and most recently the inquiry into extremism in Victoria.
Ms Burnett-Wake said the timing of an inquiry into extremism is especially timely.
“I am a fiscally conservative, free-market liberal who is socially moderate,” Ms Burnett-Wake said.
“I‘m happy to be labeled liberal if that is what it means, but not when reactionary extremists try to appropriate the word to describe their menacing agenda of hatred, repression, exclusion, division and opposition to hard-won women’s rights.”
On 30 April 2022, findings of the six-month inquiry into far-right extremism in Victoria were released, with the parliamentary committee making 42 findings and 12 recommendations. The recommendations included that the Victorian Government funds research investigating the links between extremism and family violence, anti-women or anti-feminist sentiment and masculinity, review critical and digital literacy skills taught in schools and support the ongoing existing anti-racism programs and seek to improve them.
Ms Burnett-Wake said when voters are disappointed by the choices offered to them or when their vote makes no difference, they lose faith in democracy and the electoral system is undermined.
“We cannot afford for people to turn away from democracy, because the alternative is all too obvious,” she said.
“It always means less freedom, less prosperity, less fairness.”
Ms Burnett-Wake was appointed to the Upper House of Victorian Parliament after the retirement of the Liberal MP Edward O’Donohue before being defeated in a close pre-selection on the Liberal Party ticket for Eastern Victoria by Renee Heath ahead of the 2022 state election on 26 November. She was a Yarra Ranges councillor for Streeton Ward before the appointment.
She said dishonest actors are currently thriving in an environment where “sensational lies get more social media engagement than the truth” and political events internationally have encouraged factions to believe “the time has come for their racist, nationalist, LGBTQI hating, pro-conversion practices and anti-women’s rights agendas to come to the fore.”
“These cults try to splinter our society while ironically speaking of oneness and unity. Their extreme positions always serve a divide and conquer approach,” Ms Burnett-Wake said.
“Ordinary Victorians need to awaken to the threat from these groups. Some are involved in politics, building factions with detailed and effective plans to undermine and corrupt democracy in Victoria and Australia today.”
Ms Burnett-Wake said moving forward she was unsure if she would return to politics after serving as the first female Liberal member for Eastern Victoria, but would look back on her time in parliament with great pride and fondness of the people she had met.
“Although my time has not been as long as I wished, I have been rather busy,” she said.
“One of my wonderful staff members has informed me I have spoken 95 times over 14 sitting weeks. I’m informed that is more than some MPs have spoken in their entire career of several terms.”
The Liberal Party of Victoria declined to comment.
