CPAC Founder Warns of Government Overreach Ahead of Conference

The founder of Australia's first major conservative political gathering has used a Brisbane radio interview to warn that government regulation has crept into almost every corner of everyday life, from bicycle helmets to e-scooter licensing.

Andrew Cooper, who launched CPAC Australia in 2019, spoke to 4BC Brisbane ahead of this weekend's CPAC National Conference, describing the event as a gathering for what he called "middle Australia" - people he says hold legitimate concerns about the country's future and want government to step back rather than expand further into daily life.

Cooper pointed to mandatory bicycle helmet laws for adults and recent rules requiring a driver's licence to ride an e-scooter as examples of what he sees as an ever-growing bureaucracy. "It just seems to create more and more rules to constrict us," he said, arguing that if government interfered less, people would be freer to work, run businesses and get on with their lives.

The conversation also touched on the high-profile Tickle v Giggle case, which centred on a dispute over access to a women-only social media app after a transgender woman was removed from the platform. Cooper said CPAC speaker Sall Grover, who founded the app at the centre of the case, had become a recurring voice at the conference. He argued that applying "common sense" to the dispute over a biological female-only space produced an obvious answer, while acknowledging people are free to identify however they choose.

Despite its conservative branding, Cooper insisted CPAC is not a one-sided affair. He said the conference has previously hosted a UK Extinction Rebellion leader, former US Democrats and Labor figures alongside its usual conservative speakers, framing the event as a broad conversation about reducing government pressure on ordinary citizens rather than a partisan rally.

This year's National Conference lineup includes One Nation leader Pauline Hanson sharing a stage with Liberal senator Matt Canavan and shadow minister Angus Taylor, a combination Cooper suggested reflects CPAC's attempt to bring together figures who don't always appear together publicly.

Cooper compared the Australian event to the long-running CPAC conferences in the United States, which have grown into a significant force in American conservative politics over several decades. He said the Australian version was built around similar themes of individual liberty and scepticism of government overreach, adapted for a local audience.

The interview comes as debate continues in Australia over the balance between public safety regulation and personal freedom, a theme Cooper said would feature heavily across this weekend's conference sessions in addition to discussions on free speech, national sovereignty and traditional values.