Chairman of the American Conservative Union Matt Schlapp (Image: CPAC Australia)

Australia’s foremost conservative political conference is being headlined by an American political activist under a cloud of controversies, including a lawsuit that claims he groped another Republican staff member.

The annual Australian Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) returns next month featuring speakers such as One Nation Senator Pauline Hanson, former prime minister Tony Abbott, Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, former deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce and independent Victorian MP Moira Deeming. Its sponsors include the Institute of Public Affairs and right-wing lobby group behind the No Voice to Parliament campaign, Advance (formerly Advance Australia).

The conference, which launched in Australia in 2019, will also feature Matt Schlapp, a long-time political activist and chairman of the American Conservative Union (ACU) that hosts CPAC in the US. 

Schlapp is facing a number of controversies. In January, an aide to the unsuccessful Georgia Republican Senate nominee Herschel Walker claimed that Schlapp had “reached in between my legs and fondled me” during a car ride in October 2022. The accusations culminated in a sexual battery lawsuit filed later that month.  

Schlapp’s lawyer did not respond to a request for comment and Schlapp has not spoken publicly about the claims. However, his Twitter account did share a statement from lawyer Charlie Spies denying all claims: “The complaint is false, and the Schlapp family is suffering unbearable pain and stress due to the false allegation from an anonymous individual.”

More recently, Schlapp was blamed for the ACU staff mass exodus and accused of mismanagement by the organisation’s treasurer, Bob Beauprez, in his resignation letter. 

While accepting Schlapp’s denial of inappropriate behaviour regarding the aide, Beauprez was worried about spiralling legal fees — which had risen to $270,000 and included hiring Johnny Depp’s attorney — and had “lost confidence” in the organisation’s financial statements. 

“I’ve come to think that the expectations for my role as a director and officer is much the same as that of a mushroom — ‘To be kept in the dark and fed a lot of manure.’ I no longer am willing to comply,” Beauprez wrote.

Schlapp also denied those claims, calling them “out of context or … in error” in a statement to The Washington Post.

Schlapp’s CPAC Australia speaker bio does not reference the claims, instead burnishing his credentials: “During his five-year tenure as chairman, ACU has almost tripled in size, and expanded CPAC to reach 25 million live viewers.”

CPAC did not respond to a request for comment. 

Sexual assault or domestic/family violence: If you or someone you know is affected by sexual assault or violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or visit 1800RESPECT.org.au. In an emergency, call 000.