This article investigates Jake Cassar and the Coast Environmental Alliance (CEA) as exemplars of settler conspirituality: a fusion of New Age spiritualism, far-right conspiracy, and settler-colonial mimicry that appropriates Aboriginal cultural authority to oppose Indigenous governance (Cooke, 2025; Watego, 2021). Cassar, a self-styled bushcraft educator and founder of CEA, blends rugged settler masculinity with spiritual rhetoric to construct a charismatic, emotionally resonant identity as a “protector of sacred land.” However, his campaigns—particularly those targeting developments proposed by the Darkinjung Local Aboriginal Land Council (DLALC)—consistently undermine Aboriginal sovereignty under the guise of environmentalism.
Cassar’s language, rituals, and online presence reflect tropes associated with QAnon: elite betrayal, apocalyptic revelation, and a sense of spiritual warfare (Forberg, 2021; Phillips, 2025). Through performative bush rituals, emotionally intense vigils, and the use of Aboriginal motifs such as smoking ceremonies and Dreamtime narratives, CEA constructs an alternative moral universe in which non-Indigenous actors position themselves as “true custodians” of Country. This symbolic displacement of lawful Aboriginal governance reflects what Moreton-Robinson (2015) identifies as the “white possessive,” a settler logic that seeks to replace Indigenous sovereignty with settler spiritual entitlement.
The article draws attention to the cult-like affective structure of CEA. Followers are bound not just by belief but by shared emotion—ritualised grief, awe, outrage, and purpose—manifested in events, social media posts, and ceremonies (Ahmed, 2014; Crabtree et al., 2020). Cassar’s charisma operates within this emotional economy, converting ecological anxiety into a mythic narrative of settler redemption. The group’s dynamics mirror high-demand movements and conspiracist communities, where critique is reframed as persecution and spiritual authenticity becomes a defence against legal or political accountability (Zúquete, 2022; Assaf, 2011).
Importantly, CEA’s strategies have real-world consequences. By obstructing DLALC development proposals and misrepresenting Aboriginal cultural authority, Cassar and his network contribute to what Cooke (2025) calls the “digital recolonisation” of land governance. Campaigns such as “Save Kariong Sacred Lands” reframe settler obstruction as Indigenous resistance, despite having no community recognition or cultural legitimacy. These tactics not only delay climate-responsive and culturally grounded development, but deepen mistrust and confusion about who speaks lawfully for Country (Taplin, 2023).
Gendered dynamics also shape the movement’s appeal. Cassar’s performance of “apocalyptic manhood” as spiritual warrior is complemented by female figures who perform maternalist care and intuitive authority (Renner et al., 2023; Brennan, 2019). This dual-gendered charisma imitates Indigenous kinship roles but reinforces settler control.
Social media plays a pivotal role in building and maintaining these communities. Through emotionally curated posts, livestream rituals, and digital storytelling, Cassar transforms algorithmic platforms into spaces of ritual participation and symbolic warfare (Kalpokas, 2018). His posts follow a quasi-liturgical structure, moving from grievance to sacred affirmation, mirroring the logic of conspiratorial populism.
To counter the influence of settler conspirituality, the article proposes a multi-pronged response. This includes the development of verification protocols for Aboriginal cultural claims by media and government institutions; the amplification of Indigenous-led counter-publics and initiatives such as the Wangan and Jagalingou cultural law assertion; critical education on spiritual appropriation, conspiracy theory, and settler mimicry; and an ethical reckoning with settler emotional entitlement to Country.
Ultimately, the article concludes that settler conspirituality is not just misinformation or cultural confusion. It is an affective and political formation that performs a counterfeit sovereignty—one that sanctifies settler identity while dispossessing Aboriginal Peoples of their legal, spiritual, and cultural authority. Reckoning with this phenomenon requires institutional courage, emotional clarity, and an unwavering commitment to Indigenous law, truth-telling, and decolonial accountability.
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