Ralph Babet

Ralph Emmanuel Didier "Deej" Babet (/bəˈbɛt/ bə-BET; 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. 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.

Babet grew up in Doveton, attending the Holy Family Catholic Primary School and later St John's Regional College in Dandenong. 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.

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.

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.

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

Political career

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

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. 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. 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. Babet stated the deregistration was made for "administrative reasons" and that he would continue to represent the deregistered party in the Senate. 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.

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. 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.

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

Political views

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

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

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".

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

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. In his opening Senate speech, Babet spoke of his disdain for 'radical Marxists'.

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.

Babet opposed the Voice to Parliament.

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

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. 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.