If you’re more interested in politicians as wacky entertainment than as the people to whom we’ve given the power to pass legislation, then you might have found the antics of Victoria’s accidental fundamentalist senator today somewhat amusing. First, he decided the best means of attacking the Government’s paid parental leave (PPL) scheme was to further demonise “prisoners and prostitutes” just because they haven’t been specifically excluded (although his theory for how prisoners might access the payment is more than a little tenuous). Steve, who doesn’t appear to realise that even prostitutes and prisoners might have children, even included the almost parodic “What kind of values is this sending to the community?”
Then followed a fair bit of disbelieving laughter around the traps at the shallowness of that line, that quickly died when Fielding stood up in Parliament and came out with this:
Drug addicts and welfare cheats can go out there and get themselves pregnant and then after 20 weeks have an abortion and still pocket the Government’s cash.
It’s amazing what things occur to these far-right extremists, isn’t it? Wait a second… this Bill doesn’t directly address the fact that anyone who has an abortion is CLEARLY so diabolical and evil that they’ll do it again and again for a tiny government payout. You people don’t understand! Which is weird because, without Jesus, it’s undoubtedly what you’re already planning to do. If it occurred to us, it must’ve occurred to the degenerates who don’t subscribe to our belief system, by definition – without our God, you can have no morality whatsoever. And that means the government has DELIBERATELY failed to specifically prohibit it in their legislation (shut up you did not I don’t care what it says). Because they want to gestate a baby for 20 months and abort it for a bit of welfare themselves! I’ve got them, haven’t I!
You’re probably all planning your Centrelink abortions right now!
The parliament will be much less entertaining, if also less ridiculous and contemptible, when democracy reasserts itself and poor disturbed – and disturbing – Mr Fielding disappears into obscurity after the next election.
UPDATE: These crazy people think that single mothers on welfare have a very difficult time of it. But as FundiesFirst put it – “I saw a single mother smile once”. Any welfare recipient who looks vaguely happy at any time is clearly mocking the rest of us.
Moved On 
I was following this on twitter yesterday, for a while I thought it had to be a joke. What a seriously disgraceful effort by Fielding. I hope that both the major parties now put him, and fundies first, as close to last as possible when it comes time for Senate prefs.
(although his theory for how prisoners might access the payment is more than a little tenuous)
Yeah, I’m not sure how someone in prison will get PPL. And as for prostitutes, why shouldn’t they be entitled to PPL? Why, one good reason? That Fielding thinks he’s morally superior to any unnamed prostitute is not a good reason, I would contend that any unnamed prostitute has a good chance of being morally superior, if they aren’t a bigoted idiot (IMO) like Fielding.
I showed the ABC story to three people and on all three the jaws slowly dropped to the “WTF” position.
Not for the first time, I find myself doubting not only Fielding’s ideology and common sense, but his basic intelligence.
“Fielding’s ideology and common sense, but his basic intelligence.”
As far as I’m concerned it’s been patently obvious for a long that he”s an idiot (IMO).
FFS the guy believes the planet, the universe is but a few thousand years old. What a clown!
There’s a reason that Fake Fielding is the best of the fake twitter accounts: the inanities he comes up with are, sadly, just about believable.
It seriously frightens me that wackjobs such as this have any amount of power in the government
RobJ, I’m a (non-theistic) charitable man, so I was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. However, the intensity of my dislike for his prejudices has finally overcome that.
I thought the chap that Fielding supposedly follows advocated for the poor and railed against the rich ???????????
Shyeah, right, the Lord Jesus Christ surrounded Himself with poor people and prostitutes. Sure.
Jeremy, I usually have some bone of contention with your point of view, as you know, but today I’m in absolute agreement with you…but I would have used stronger language condemning the idiot!! It seems that the conservative right, now that the fascist-lite smokescreen of the One Nation party has all but vanished, now has aligned itself with the religious fascist element…Jesus Christ, when will people wake up to this crap??
The other thing that shits me about him is his constant references to ‘mums’ when he describes those who would utilise the scheme.
Says a lot really, like how much of a throw-back to the 1950s he is.
I guess prisoners and prostitutes must have elephant babies, because humans can’t have a termination after week 12.
Steve’s comments don’t really help to make the Christian right seem less uneducated or uncompassionate.