Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison hit out at the United Nations on Thursday, saying he did not want to see global organisations interfering in the governance of independent nations and “demanding conformity” of words, thoughts and actions.
The leader of the country’s governing conservative coalition spoke in Sydney a week after using an address at the U.N. to confront “internal and global” critics of Australia’s climate change policy.
“The world works best, we believe, I believe, when the character and distinctiveness of independent nations is preserved within a framework of mutual respect,” Morrison said. “This includes respecting the electoral mandates of their constituencies.”
The prime minister warned more broadly that freedom of “exchange”, “open markets”, “capital” and “ideas” had never been more important, but were under threat by “unaccountable globalist bodies.”
He reiterated Australia’s commitment to preserving “this legacy in the face of uncertainties of our modern world.”
“The approach my government is taking is based on this,” Morrison said.
“Firstly, know who we are and know what we stand for and allow this to drive and guide our constructive engagement in and the expectations of our international cooperation, including those global institutions, and ensure that our national interests remain always paramount.
“Secondly, to build a strong and open economy here at home, connected to global prosperity, enabling our capacity to protect and pursue our national interests.”
Finally Morrison, the architect of the Australia’s famously tough migration and border policies, warned the country will look to audit its membership of global trade and commercial organisations.
“It does not serve our national interests when international institutions demand conformity rather than independent cooperation on global issues,” he said.
This is not the first time Morrison has challenged accepted orthodoxies in the world of political correctness.
As Breitbart News reported, in August he ordered his own department to remove gender-neutral signage on bathroom doors, lambasting them as “ridiculous.”
He also called the signs “political correctness”, “not necessary” and “over the top” before vowing to “sort out” who was responsible for the signage and have them removed.
Morrison’s promise of intervention came after an image of a sign was posted to Twitter by a Canberra journalist, which showed a facility in the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet staff as open for employees to, “use the bathroom that best fits your gender identity.”
Last year, Morrison criticised a report saying teachers were being taught how to spot potentially transgender students.
And earlier this year, he called a decision to allow transgender and gender-diverse people play cricket at the highest level “heavy-handed” and “mystifying.”
Morrison is the son of a policeman and an active member of a Sydney Pentecostal evangelical church.
He voted “no” in Australia’s plebiscite on same-sex marriage, listed “church” as one of his interests in his Who’s Who profile, and regards former prime minister John Howard as a political inspiration.
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