Former United Australia Party parliamentary leader Craig Kelly with the man set to become Victoria's newest senator, Ralph Babet (Image: Facebook/Matt Babet)

Ralph Babet believed that the 2022 federal election was going to be rigged. The United Australia Party candidate changed his tune when it became likely that he would become Victoria’s newest senator.

Despite a generally poor showing for a near $100 million campaign spend, UAP has eked out enough votes that — combined with preferences from the Liberal Party, which placed it second on its how-to-vote cards — Babet has been elected to Victoria’s sixth Senate spot over the Legalise Cannabis Australia Party and Pauline Hanson’s One Nation.

Babet — who also goes by Deej Babet — is a Melbourne real estate agent who now holds the top Senate spot for Clive Palmer’s party while his brother, Matt, unsuccessfully contested Bruce in the House of Representatives. 

Soon after election night, Babet deleted his UAP campaign Facebook page, Instagram and Twitter account. However, archived posts from these accounts and other online content reveals that his views are well and truly in line with those of his right-wing populist and conspiracy promoting party leader Palmer.

Beyond arguing that the election was going to be fraudulent, Babet promoted the same conspiracy theory that the World Economic Forum is carrying out a globalist takeover of the country’s sovereignty. Soon after the election was called for Labor, he posted on his account: “I would like to congratulate the prime minister of Australia on an excellent campaign. Well done Klaus Schwab.”

Despite his dislike for the man responsible for creating the “billionaire circus” at Davos, Babet is a fanboy of other billionaires. At a rally earlier this month he boasted about meeting Palmer a handful of times and defended him online against reports he hadn’t paid his staff. Babet also tweeted glowingly about Elon Musk and was stoked about his proposed takeover of Twitter.

He also spoke at rallies and tweeted about ending Australia’s “digital ID legislation”, another fear-mongering UAP party promise that posits that a real government scheme is actually an attempt to implement China’s social credit system here. 

While showing a disdain for all major parties, Babet particularly dislikes those with left politics. He called the Greens ideology “cancerous”, spoke disparagingly of “hardcore communists” on Twitter, shared a video claiming that drinking blood is a new trend on “the left”, and criticised Labor’s Dan Andrews for his handling of the pandemic.

Like the UAP’s former parliamentary leader Craig Kelly, Babet is staunchly anti-lockdown, wants to end vaccine mandates and tweeted about vaccine injuries, a common argument of the anti-vaccine movement. Babet also campaigned closely with Rebekah Spelman, a fellow UAP candidate who once said she wanted to chant “Hang Dan Andrews!” at a rally, and anti-vaccine content creator Morgan C Jonas.  

While Palmer’s attempts to end the rule of both major parties fell flat, the spoils of his massive spend are a plum position for a conspiracy touting senator made in his own image.

This article has been updated to reflect Babet’s election to the Senate.