Hypocrisy Masterclass
Few politicians lean into the rhetoric of "Australian values" quite as heavily of late as Angus Taylor. But for a man so eager to wrap himself in the flag, his track record suggests a version of Australian values that most citizens wouldn't recognise; one defined by shadow companies, doctored documents, and a flexible relationship with the truth.
If we are to judge a man by his actions rather than his stump speeches, Taylor’s career reads less like a public service announcement and more like a cautionary tale of entitlement and ethical elasticity.
When Taylor talks about supporting farmers, he often forgets to mention the specific farmers he has in mind: usually his own family or former business associates.
While Taylor was a director of Eastern Australia Agriculture (EAA), the company secured an $80 million water buyback from the government, the highest price ever paid, in a closed tender process. While Taylor denied any personal financial gain, the optics of a company he co-founded (headquartered in the Cayman Islands, no less) making a $52 million profit at the taxpayer's expense is hardly the fair go most Australians expect.
Then there’s the Grassgate saga. A company part-owned by Taylor and his brother was found to have illegally poisoned 30 hectares of critically endangered native grasslands. Instead of accepting the umpire’s verdict, Taylor used his ministerial weight to seek briefings with senior environment officials while the investigation was ongoing. In Taylor’s world, Australian values seemingly include using your office to lean on bureaucrats when your family business breaks the law.
Perhaps the most brazen display of Taylor’s disregard for integrity was the doctored document scandal. In an attempt to paint Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore as a climate hypocrite, Taylor’s office provided the Daily Telegraph with a document claiming the City of Sydney spent $15 million on travel.
The real figure? Roughly $6,000.
Taylor insisted the document came from the council’s website, but a police investigation found no evidence that such a version ever existed. It was a "hand-tailored" forgery used to smear a political opponent, a far cry from the "honesty and transparency" usually associated with Australian values.
He took this selective truth approach to the 2022 election as well. It was later revealed that Taylor personally signed off on a regulation to delay the reporting of massive electricity price hikes until after the vote. He told voters power prices were falling, all while sitting on a report that showed they were about to skyrocket. To Taylor, "Australian values" apparently include treating the electorate like they’re too gullible to handle the truth.
Beyond the financial and ethical clouds, Taylor has frequently dipped into the well of dog-whistle politics. Whether it’s his aggressive opposition to the Voice to Parliament or his rhetoric surrounding "sovereignty" and "traditional values," there is a persistent undercurrent of exclusion. By framing "Australian values" as something that must be protected from "outsiders" or "progressive elites," he relies on the old-school xenophobia that seeks to divide rather than unite. His inciteful, toxic, xenophobic rhetoric has already ignited very fierce clashes on social media, including abusive and threatening behaviour. How long before it spills out onto the streets?
Angus Taylor’s brand of politics is built on a foundation of ‘rules for thee, but not for me.’ He champions the taxpayer while his former companies reap millions; he demands accountability from others while hiding price hikes from the public; and he lectures on values while his office circulates forged papers.
If we want to find the real threat to Australian values, we don't need to look at the borders or the progressive elites. We just need to look at the ministerial benches.
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