The discussion on transgender women and girls participation in sport to an unexpected turn this evening when former Liberal Party advisor Grahame Morris suggested it would see Russia and China target Australia on an international level.
Morris, who was an advisor to Prime Minister John Howard, was appearing on The Project alongside Labor advisor Bruce Hawker where the pair gave their analysis of the latest updates from the election campaign.
Asked if the Liberals’ Warringah candidate Katherine Deves should be disendorsed over her long string of disrespectful comments about transgender people, Morris had an unexpected answer.
“Definitely not. Some of the things she said were beyond the pale and she’s apologised, but if you come back to what she’s really on about it is saving women’s sport and that is really important.
“We have feeder clubs for Aussie Rules clubs in Sydney where you’ve got big, muscly, fast, strong, women – who used to be blokes – up against 16-year-old girls. Is that fair?
“Just imagine what the Russians or the Chinese will do if that little chink opens up.”
Dumbfounded host Waleed Aly asked, “Are you really running this argument on the basis of a comment that a candidate in Warringah’s making? That if she doesn;t run this the Chinese and the Russians are coming for us – and their going to take out medals? This seems a little overwrought.”
“Look at what they’re doing now, when there are different rules.” Morris responded. ‘We have seen what they will do. Do we really want to open up that little niche? Where we’ve got people against our swimming team, our women’s swimming team, people against our Matildas! At a time when we’re all getting keen on women’s sport. It’s just wrong.”
Should the Liberal pick in Warringah Katherine Deves be disendorsed over her views? We ask John Howard’s former chief of staff, Grahame Morris and we got an answer we didn’t expect. pic.twitter.com/3CACUfN5XM
— The Project (@theprojecttv) April 19, 2022
It’s not the first time Morris has made a comical claim. Back in 2015 he was appearing on Sky News, also alongside Hawker, when he made a series of comments about marriage equality.
Just after Ireland voted in favour of allowing same-sex couples to wed, Morris said many areas of Australia were years away of being willing to accept gay couples being allowed to marry.
He made headlines around the world after he delivered a barrage of insults at the Irish over their historic yes vote.
“I love the Irish… but these are people who can’t grow potatoes,” Morris said during a debate on Sky News.
He then went on to describe the shamrock, as a “mutant lawn weed” before mocking Irish accents. He was adamant that Australians would not vote in a similar way.
“You run around Queensland, you run around the bush in New South Wales, run around most of Western Australia, run around Tasmania – they’re not ready.” Morris said.
A little over two years later every Australian state voted in favour of changing the laws. While there we electorates in regional areas of Queensland and New South Wales that voted no, all of Tasmania and Western Australia were firmly in the Yes camp.
OIP Staff
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