Peter Dutton – Australia’s MAGA rock star – is determined to change the political landscape. But can we afford to become TRUMP-Land downunder?

2 April 2025

ALAN HAYES

 

THERE are better things, I would suspect that Clive Palmer could be doing with his money than trying to get someone elected. Double the money (not already made available by Palmer) that has been put towards securing safe drinking water for Indigenous communities as part of the 2023 Closing the Gap implementation plan  - he’d still have a few million left over from what he’s been spending on his campaign.

 

Not surprisingly, political troublemaker Clive Palmer restated his commitment to spending wheelbarrows full of money during the election campaign, as well as wasting everyone’s time. It was at the National Press Club early last month, through gobfuls of Tim Tams, that he told everyone that he planned to spend at least another $50 million on the coming election.

 

One would think spending $206 million so far over the past six years and getting nothing in return except Senator Ralph Babet would be reason enough for anyone to start questioning their fiscal choice.

 

Palmer, of course, uses the electronic box to try and spread the disease – MAGAfy is the only salvation for the minions. A provoking thought if it wasn’t so insanely ridiculous. Clive is actually trying to make you think that his new polly (wants a cracker) party actually cares about the plight of Aussies that are doing it tough. Maybe a touch of altruism would go a long way to shore up his credentials.

 

The perfect solution for Clive, to show he is genuine and really does have a soft spot for the Aussie battler, would be to divest some of his billions into a trust fund. Not give the money away – let’s not expect munificence - but use the interest earned on the capital to help those less fortunate. I won’t hold my breath!

 

But what about ‘nuclear man’, Peter Dutton? As Australians look on horrified at the chaos going on in America, the last thing they want is for an Australian Government to emulate it. But Dutton’s Trump mania is pulling out of the station with the stridency of an early twentieth-century steam locomotive – a dump political move.

 

My grandfather, who was politically savvy, always told me to never interrupt your political enemy when they are making a mistake. One can only now imagine that the Labor Government, observing Dutton’s MAGAfying discourse, must be salivating as they watch Dutton dig himself into a Trump-loving, ever deepening hole just in time for next month’s election.

 

Dutton made sure Australians knew where his allegiances lay, when in February he praised Trump as a "big thinker", after Trump made unhinged and illegal calls for America to take over Gaza and turn it into a real estate opportunity. While every world leader except Benjamin Netanyahu was against Trump’s plan, Dutton took the opportunity to back Trump. And there the self-wedging began.

 

If Dutton could have sensed the public mood, he would have jumped off the Trump bandwagon when he had the chance. The public mood is not just a little bit concerned about Trump — it is aghast. Nobody wants Australia to become a Trumpian fascist clone.

 

Election day in May

 

It’s now no secret that the country goes to the polls on 3 May to decide whether Labor governs for another three years, or whether Dutton can pull a ‘rabbit out of the hat’ and do something somewhat historic and return the Coalition to government after just one term – sending taxpayers into penury, while governing with the dregs of the previous Morrison government and arguing about who does what in the sandbox.

 

Yet there was little doubt that ‘Big Government Dutton’s’ budget reply was overshadowed by Albanese’s election date announcement.

 

Labor undermined Dutton's big budget reply moment last week by announcing the election date just as ‘Big Government Dutton’ was about to speak. Regardless, where was Dutton’s Big Government plan for Australia.

 

Dutton’s promise of a ‘big announcement’ - a major, huge, mega announcement with some truly head-spinning speculation thrown into the mix, and expected with baited breath by the nation – didn’t eventuate. His speech was as flat as a soufflé that just had the oven door inadvertently slammed shut.

 

What was much more noticeable, however, was what wasn’t announced. There were no new policies to boost housing supply … the opposition leader did not reveal a figure for defence spending … he did not detail targets for net overseas migration … [and] Dutton confirmed the Coalition would not announce its own income tax cuts during the campaign [in otherwords, no tax cuts].

 

It's all still to come though, Big Government Dutton kept assuring the country.

 

Not surprisingly, on his migration target, Dutton said that it would be announced “in due course” [a nice little cop-out] and on defence, woe-behold, he declared: “During the election campaign, we will announce our significant funding commitment to defence.”

 

Dutton also confirmed that he would do away with Labor's Housing Australia Future Fund and Rewiring the Nation Fund and would also “not proceed with the $16 billion production tax credits for green hydrogen and critical minerals".

 

And Dutton’s promise you’ll save $14 a week on fuel – as expected another furphy; the real number is less than half that. Yet again, shadow treasurer Angus Taylor got it wrong.

 

Angus Taylor said the 25¢ excise cut, which would cost the budget $6 billion, would deliver “very significant but very targeted” relief from cost-of-living pressures, amounting to $1500 a year for those who filled up twice a week, and $750 for families who filled their cars up once.

 

“That’s $28 a week [for two tanks a week] – or $14 a week for a single-tank family,” Taylor said in Canberra last Thursday.

 

The Nine Papers fact-checked the Coalition’s claim, using the most recent motoring data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, which revealed that the average motorist will actually save just $6 a week.

 

It would appear that the Government’s tax cuts are more appealing and would be permanent benefit to Aussies.

 

Yet Dutton's mish-mash policies get even worse. Yesterday (April fool's day and somewhat appropriate), the Coalition announced that if elected they will relax home lending rules allowing borrowers to take on more debt, against the urging of Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) not to do so.

 

According to the APRA, the Coalition policy would further drive up house prices, create more debt for households and profits for the banks, and do nothing to tackle housing affordability.

 

The Coalition’s 'super for housing policy' already means a 10% increase on soaring house prices. Relaxing the home lending rules will only exacerbate the problem.

 

And what about climate change? Climate determined the date of the election, yet remains utterly absent from Dutton’s vernacular. Just like the American MAGAman, Dutton is a climate change denier! But now he has the space to freely propose policies that actively incentivise the increased burning of fossil fuels in Australia. It is no accident that the opposition leader’s core energy message is promising to more heavily subsidise the use of oil and gas in Australia.

 

Dutton is also promising to reserve a proportion of Australia’s gas for domestic use, on the grounds that ramping up supply of this fossil fuel will bring down power bills (a policy requested by crossbench senators, including Jacqui Lambie and Rex Patrick). But gas miners, who pay little or no royalties and no tax on what they extract from the ground, will not be keen to reserve gas supply for the Australian market unless it is at world parity prices – therein lies the problem in Dutton’s plan.

 

Let’s not forget that Dutton also promised to cut 40,000 public servant jobs across education, health and other departments. According to Greens Senator Penny Allman-Payne, a Dutton Government would result in cuts to public schools, a wound-back Department of Education, and a Minister fixated on moulding the curriculum after her own image rather than supporting disadvantaged kids.

 

“A Dutton Government would be a disaster for public education,” said Ms Allman-Payne.

 

“If Sarah Henderson gets the keys to the Education Minister’s office the first, second and third things on her to-do list will be cutting funding from public schools.

 

“She’s seen what Trump is doing to public education in America and would love nothing more than to import that ideology into Australia. This is seriously dangerous and weird stuff.

 

“Make no mistake, a Dutton Government would see public schools suffer - holding public school kids to ransom by withholding funds unless he gets to decide the curriculum.

 

“He can’t help himself - cutting public school funding is in his DNA.

 

“Kids in Australia deserve a world class, free public education, not threats and bluster from a wannabe Trump."

 

Enter the Greens

 

With the likelihood of the country heading for a minority government, although polling this week is now suggesting otherwise, the Greens have ruled out supporting Peter Dutton to form government, but will get Labor to take urgent action on the cost of living, the rental and housing crisis and the climate crisis.

 

Greens Leader Adam Bandt reiterated last Friday that keeping Dutton out is not enough, as Labor will not take real action on cost of living and climate without pressure from the Greens.

 

The Greens have not yet announced their final formal list of priorities for minority government, but they have said they will seek action on housing, health and other cost of living issues, as well as ending native forest logging and stopping new coal and gas mines. The Greens’ ‘Robin Hood reforms’ will fund these policies by taxing big corporations and billionaires.

 

Last time there was a minority government, the Greens got dental into Medicare for kids. This election, Labor has already adopted much of the Greens ‘GP for free’ policy and partially wiping student debt, and the Greens say their other policies are achievable in minority government as well.

 

Greens Leader Adam Bandt  said, “With a minority government predicted, the Greens will keep Dutton out and get Labor to act.

 

“This election, we can’t keep voting for the same two parties and expecting a different result.

 

“Right now, one in three big corporations pays zero tax. We should tax big corporations and billionaires to fund dental into Medicare, cap rent increases and lower mortgages, bring back free GPs and take strong climate action.

 

“Last minority government the Greens got dental into Medicare for kids, and now we want to get it for everyone.

 

"The Dutton-budget-reply-circus was all smoke and mirrors, with no substance for Aussie families doing it tough."

 

MAGA-Australis on the Central Coast

 

Liberal candidates Brendan Small (Dobell) and Lucy Wicks (Robertson) have proven to be loyal MAGA-soldiers, who are doing no more than parroting Big Government Dutton’s lack of substance budget reply policy speech.

 

Apart from the obliquity and expected attack on the government, Small claims that only the Liberals will strengthen our economy and get our country back on track - sounds a little like Trumpian-MAGA.

 

Small claims that the Liberal’s plan – despite Dutton not announcing a Big Government policy for Australia - will deliver low inflation, cheaper energy, affordable homes, safer communities and quality healthcare.

 

But didn’t Mr Small get the Dutton memo… he said there were no new policies to boost housing supply and that they would do away with Labor's Housing Australia Future Fund (so, cheaper housing is questionable).

 

It is also questionable just how the Coalition would lower energy prices, considering they expect gas companies to magnanimously reduce their profits to supply the local market. Shadow treasurer Angus Taylor got energy wrong when he was energy minister under the Morrison government, yet Mr Small believes that now they have the answer.

 

Instead of lower energy prices under the previous Liberal watch, they went up, up and up.

 

And what about quality healthcare? The country is well aware of Dutton’s abysmal record on quality healthcare. Or does the Coalition seriously believe struggling families have forgotton how Dutton took to the health system with a slashing razor – cutting benefits, resulting in a more expensive healthcare system. Let’s also not forget that Dutton said “everyone had to pay”. How can you trust him again?

 

A ‘me too’, as Dutton’s healthcare policy doesn’t ring the bell – it’s  already something the Government has and is continuing to implement. No brownie points there Brendan.

 

And what about Lucy Wicks? She supported Peter Dutton when he was Health Minister when he cut $50 billion from public hospitals, attempted to implement a GP tax, and who was voted the worst health minister by Australian doctors.

 

Lucy Wicks, the first time around as the Member for Robertson, continually voted with her Government, which was essentially voting against the Central Coast. She would have you believe that she cares, but her voting record tells a different story.

 

When the Central Coast was faced with the biggest threat that it has ever had to deal with – the loss of its major drinking water catchment through the proposed construction of a longwall coal mine beneath it – where was Lucy Wicks? Instead of fighting for the community to stop it, she sided with her government and the mining company’s plans – shafting the Central Coast community.

 

So, how can you trust Lucy Wicks to represent you.

 

Do we want MAGA-Australis

 

Peter Dutton – Australia’s MAGA rock star – is determined to change the political landscape. But can we afford to become TRUMP-Land downunder?

 

With the election date now looming, Dutton has found himself in a MAGA dilemma! A half-baked move that poses a serious question: can he navigate the Trump effect? Unlikely! He’s already demonstrated that he is floundering with no-substance polices and his loss of popularity must be further impacted by his failure to deliver his Big Government announcement for all Australians.

 

And the failure of that Big Government announcement is costing Peter Dutton dearly. New polls last Monday morning clearly put Anthony Albanese ahead of Peter Dutton as preferred prime minister and his party narrowly ahead in national two-party preferred terms.

 

In a 'Resolve Political Monitor' poll reported by Nine newspapers, Albanese is ahead by 42% against Dutton's 33% when it comes to who Australians would rather see as prime minister.

 

The Australian reported Dutton's approval rating in that poll was now “lower than any score Albanese posted as opposition leader and level with Bill Shorten in May 2019”.

 

Forty-nine per cent of respondents said Albanese would make a better prime minister, compared with 38% who nominated Dutton.

 

So, what’s Dutton doing wrong? The opposition leader continues to 'flood the zone' with foggy ideas, instead of being focused and disciplined with actual polices – a trait most frequently associated with the Mad King’s second presidency.

 

Just like Trump, however, when it comes to policy, all you get from Peter Dutton is a wall of white noise that greets anyone masochistically enough to expose their ears to it – and a faint hopeful clinking of the billionaire class champagne glasses in the background, in anticipation of achieving MAGA-Australis.

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