Mr Roberts has piggy-backed the unfortunate popularity of Pauline Hanson’s One Nation Party to steal for himself and his nonsensical views a position of power. 

Nothing about Mr Roberts suggests that he shares his party’s extreme views on immigration and Islam. His sole political focus is climate change denial.

His personal website only discusses climate change. Unlike fellow party member Brian Burston, his profile on the One Nation site does not mention any passion for Australia’s national security that not-so-subtly hints at racism. The only trait that he shares with the three other One Nation senators is borderline madness. Mr Roberts is affiliated with One Nation for one reason, it gives him a route into politics. 

There are not enough climate change deniers in Queensland to elect Mr Roberts on a platform of pseudoscience. There are, however, enough scared white people in Queensland to elect a One Nation senator. 

The senator received only 77 first-preference votes. He wasn’t elected, he stumbled into power clinging to the coattails of his fellow party members.  

As a result, he’s been given a national platform to spout nonsense.  

This was perfectly demonstrated on Q&A on Monday night when Mr Roberts embarrassed himself and the country in attempting to rebuke climate change to celebrity physicist Brian Cox. It became abundantly clear that arguing with a climate change denier is largely similar to banging your head against a brick wall. The wall is unlikely to move and you’re likely to come out of the exchange with fewer brain cells.  

While there is definitely entertainment value in watching Mr Roberts explain climate conspiracies about NASA and the United Nations and flounder when presented with logical argument, it’s also dangerous. 

With the current state of parliament, Mr Roberts’ vote is worryingly powerful. A climate change denier who wouldn’t look out of place wearing a tin foil hat and who received only 77 votes has the power to pass or kill legislation. 

Something about that doesn’t sit well. The best approach to dealing with Mr Roberts may be to take a page out of his book and stubbornly deny that he exists despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary.