This is Maurice Newman. He's the head of Tony Abbott's Business Advisory Council and one of the PM's most-trusted advisors. He's got some stuff to say about climate change.
Writing in The Australian this morning, Newman says that basically all of the science proving climate change is wrong.
"It's a well-kept secret, but 95 per cent of the climate models we are told prove the link between human CO2 emissions and catastrophic global warming have been found, after nearly two decades of temperature stasis, to be in error," he says.
He goes on to say, "This is not about facts or logic. It's about a new world order under the control of the UN. It is opposed to capitalism and freedom and has made environmental catastrophism a household topic to achieve its objective."
Newman has an interesting past when it comes to commenting on climate change.
In the past, he has accused government's of falling victim to "green gesture politics" and described climate change action as "the new Marxism."
"Back in the real world, the poor are dying of the cold while the political elites and their friends bask in the warmth of cosy conferences, taxpayer subsidies and research grants.They seem indifferent to the hardship that their actions, based on dubious science, impose on the world's underprivileged," Newman wrote earlier this year.
Environment Minister Greg Hunt has backed away from Newman's comments.
Newman's views are not views Hunt "has or would express", he told reporters today.
Shadow environment minister Mark Butler stopped short of calling on Mr Newman to resign.
"I've never been particularly clear why Maurice Newman holds the position he does hold given how central climate change is to the future economic prosperity of Australia," Butler told reporters. "That ultimately, though, is a matter for the Prime Minister."
Naturally, Twitter had its fun.
Maybe Maurice Newman owns a tinfoil hat factory?
Maurice Newman, adviser to the PM, tells the Oz that there's no such thing as climate change or baldness.
Loooooot of Abbott birthers laughing at Maurice Newman today. Case of 'Pot telling kettle that jet fuel can't melt steel beams'.
it honestly wouldn't surprise me if maurice newman started in on chemtrails or lizard people. is this guy seriously on the public payroll
"Oxygen is a conspiracy by Big Haemoglobin to profit from your breathing" Maurice Newman #MauriceNewmanQuotes
Hey, Newman, you keep on keepin' on.
