Clive’s new party

After his failed attempt to re-register the Palmer United party for this year’s election, Clive decided to go shopping. Towards the end of February, he announced that he was relaunching the Trumpets of Patriots, a pre-existing fringe party, and bring it into the mainstream. This was after Palmer’s attempt to merge with Pauline Hanson’s one nation fell over. The party originally born out of the Country Alliance was officially formed in 2021 under the current moniker but was blocked from registration with AEC for the last election due to a federal election writ.

Palmer’s decision to buy into the party and bring across Suellen Wrightson as leader has propelled it into the national spotlight. The party has clearly flagged that they are running on Trump style policy as Palmer’s said at the announcement that “Trumpet Patriots will put Australians first and make Australia great again.” A major part of this platform is running on an anti-trans agenda as Palmer and Wrightson both used the announcement as an opportunity to discuss “men in women’s sport” and their policy that “there are only two genders”. It is hardly an original platform and one that is unlikely to get much play with Australian voters, afterall Palmer has a history of spending a lot of money without much to show for it but it will me our existence is going to be a continual discussion point throughout the election campaign.

Attacks on the public service sounds a little familiar

A consistent them over the last few months from the Coalition has been an attempt to promote government efficiency. The fact that Peter Dutton appointed Jacinta Price as the Shadow Minister for government efficiency shows exactly where this idea is coming from. It is a little hypercritical to appoint Price to this new portfolio as well since she has in the past had to refund improperly claimed expenses totalling $11,000 on 13 separate occasions which suggest she is a repeat offender of government waste but maybe that’s pretty standard for the liberal party. Regardless, the decision to create the role shows a clear desire to follow the Trump administration with DOGE. This is further backed up by Dutton’s claim that they will cut 36000 public servants, which has recently increased to 41000. There has been no information from the Coalition regarding what departments they may look at cutting or the potential impact on services. It means every public servant must feel pretty worried about their job, which to me seems like pretty stupid politics since they will be all voters, but the coalition can deal with that. However, it is also amazing that people believe these cuts can be made without cutting programs as if all these people did nothing. We only have to look at the dismantling of agencies and interruptions to social security payments and the VA in the states to show us that these sorts of cuts have an impact. Of course, the other option the Liberal party has used before is spending $20 billion on contractors at a higher coast to keep public servants’ numbers down, a blatant false economy.

However, if this wasn’t enough to concern a few voters, Dutton went further and attacked work from home arrangements. It is a policy once again borrowed from Musk. One that ignores research showing that flexible work arrangements increase productivity and forced return to the office leads to the lose of the most skilled workers as they seek opportunities elsewhere. Besides this as has been heavily pointed out it is a policy that disproportionately impacts working mothers. The fact that Dutton’s response to this was that women could job share and therefore should be forced to drop down to part-time  and lose income due to the choice to have a child is disgusting. The fact that he would impact the finical independence and opportunities of women in this way is limiting and lacks understanding, but this shouldn’t come as a surprise.

Insider trading scandle

The last month has ended up quite badly for the opposition leader, but it all started with claims regarding insider trading. In a calculated move by the Labor party, they managed to get News corp to highlight Peter Dutton’s stock market activity during the GFC. That is that he purchased shares in the major banks the day before a massive $4 billion stimulus package was announced that would cause them to rebound before selling them less than a month later for a nice profit. The timing seems very convenient and a little suspect, but realistically, it will never be investigated. Regardless of further proof, it definitely looks suspicious, which will be enough for a lot of voters. The fact that Dutton was also suspected of potential  inside dealings from the Paladin group scandal where a $423 billion contract was awarded without a proper tender process doesn’t help his image.

Former tropical cyclone Alfred

Last month, southern Queensland was under serious threat from tropical cyclone Alfred and have sense been dealing with the after effects. The storm system made a somewhat slow and unpredictable path towards the east coast of Australia, eventually making landfall on Saturday the 8th. Despite being downgraded due to slower wind speed, by the time it crossed the coastline, the storm still brought flooding rains and heavy winds, which have left an estimated $1.2 billion in damage. However, it also had plenty of political implications by delaying an election announcement.

This wasn’t the most significant political impact, however, as Peter Dutton was caught out. The opposition leader left his constitute of Dickson in Queensland while it was under threat in order to attend a luncheon in Sydney before a fundraiser later that night hosted by Justin Hemmes. While the Storm didn’t make landfall, it was not a good look, and drew comparisons with Scott Morrison’s trip to Hawaii during black summer. The fact it was revealed later that Albanese also left Queensland for an event didn’t reach the same level of publicity was largely due to the fact Dutton’s own electorate was under threat.

Trumpets spread extreme advertising

Now, thanks to Clive Palmer’s support, the Trumpets of Patriots have been spending big on political advertising. The most diverse of which was their add attacking the trans community, stating ‘there are only two genders’ which lead to public outcry. Not only because it is factual incorrect but also because the potential harm such ads can inflict on a vulnerable minority, especially trans or gender diverse young people.  Responding to the outcry, the Newcastle Herald removed the ad and apologised while other media outlets like The Age and News Corp continued to run it on their papers. Similarly, commercial television continues to carry the ads during prime time.

This specific ad did create the most outrage and public reaction, but others published by the party are equally divisive. Whether it is those aimed at indigenous rights like “we don’t need to be welcomed to our own country” or the attack on migrants “too much immigration destroys infrastructure” demonstrates exactly the kind of party we are dealing with. These policies and language are clearly in line with the most bigoted rhetoric and tactics that have been used by Trump. Thankfully, Palmer is viewed as a joke by most Australians and is extremely unlikely regardless of the amount of money he spends to get many votes. However, their extreme policies mean that the LNP will seem pretty reasonable by contrast and the possibility of a minority government means the Palmer’s Trumpets of Patriots may have some bargaining power of they managed to pick up a seat. All I can say is please save us.

Clearly, a desire to target migrants

Dutton and the liberals haven’t hidden their anti-immigration plans in the lead up to the election. They have continually flagged cutting permanent migration as a response to the housing crisis and hammered Labor over an increase in migrants. It is again another idea out of Trumps playbook to blame migrants for everything that should be pretty familiar.

However, it definitely went to another level when Dutton started talking about a referendum to allow for the deportation of duel citizens. It stems from Abbott’s government attempt to strip citizenship based on certain conduct back in 2015. That attempt was overturned by the High Court in 2022 as it was deemed unconstitutional, so here we have Dutton proposing to change the constitution to allow such action. Not only is it an attempt to work around the courts, but it would also be a waste of money as there is almost no likelihood for success. Considering that at least 30% of Australia’s population is born overseas, this would actually require people to likely vote against their own interests. Furthermore, the idea that a government can revoke citizenship would be a dangerous precedent.

If it didn’t have serious implications, the whole situation would be pretty entertaining as it was yet another Dutton slip up in the last month. Since the possibility of such a referendum has been flatly denied by other senior members of the Liberal party. In fact, since Dutton has been floating the idea, multiple Shadow Ministers have downplayed the possibility of another referendum and backed away from the idea. It seems Dutton is making announcements without the support of his own party, and he wants to be trusted with running the country. It’s a joke.

An old homophibic slur

In what was another misstep for the opposition leader last month, Peter Dutton use a homophobic slur to attack the Prime Minister. The slur was used in the context of attacking Anthony Albanese over what Dutton views as a weak response to China and the presence of a navel group conducting live fire exercises off the coast of Australia. However, Dutton’s choice of words calling it a  ‘limp wrist response’ is an old homophobic slur suggesting someone is less of a man. Dutton’s office apologised for the language pretty quickly, but considering his criticism of the Prime Minister being unwilling to make the apology himself seemed pretty weak.

The choice of words is concerning for many reasons and suggests a few possibilities. The worse possibility is that Dutton is outwardly homophobic, a view supported by his voting record against marriage equality. However, even giving him the benefit of the doubt, the choice of words suggests that he is greatly oblivious to the hurtful nature of such phrases, and he is willing to use them as a flippant remark. This is concerning for someone attempting to be our next Prime Minister, that he could unintentionally just insult a group of Australians that have faced a long history of discrimination. If he wants anyone in the LGBTQIA community to vote for the coalition, he needs to do a lot better.

US funding cuts an attempt to push their ideology

There are those who want to pretend that everything in the States doesn’t affect us here in Australia. However, Trump administration’s attempts to bully universities around the world are a wake-up call. After putting certain restrictions on academic research and forcing edits on existing papers in the US, they have attempted to make this more international through threatening the US funding to joint projects based on meeting the ideology values of the Trump administration. To achieve this, a 36-question survey was sent to participating institutions it included several questions about protecting against ‘Christian persecution’ and the steps taken to ‘defend against gender ideology’. The intimation was that institutions and projects that did not fit Trump’s values would have their funding cut. It is a direct attempt to influence institutions and research conducted outside the US. However, the USA government has gone further by sending emails to Australian universities directing them to comply with Trumps executive orders. It is a shocking attempt to control in independent research, and as the NTEU president Alison Barnes said, it is “blatant Foreign interference.”

Thankfully, Australian universities have resisted Trump’s pressure. This means that at least 7 institutions have had their research funding pulled from the US government. While it is heartening to see the universities stand tough, it raises greater concerns about the US government trying to direct and influence research and education around the world. It both means valuable research will struggle to get the appropriate funding, while those who push Trump’s discrimination will get privileged support. This is a far bigger issue that can do a lot of damage to vulnerable communities and other possible avenues for finical support, and new international partnerships should be a focus.

Budget and reply

Due to the delay in calling the election, the government was required to hand down the budget last week. Whether this was by design or due to the impact of former cyclone Alfred is probably impossible to know for sure. As it turned out, the Labor government was to make the most of the opportunity. Doubling down on commitments to Medicare, education, electricity bill relief, and housing, however, the big surprise was a tax. It might have been a very small one promising $268 in the first year, which increases to $536, but it is ongoing and universal. Pushing this through parliament the next day was a stroke of genus as it forced the coalition to vote against a tax cut right before the official start to an election campaign.

Dutton’s reply, therefore, had to focus on an alternative, and he was forced to unveil a plan to half the fuel excise for 12 months. This no doubt was going to be a campaign process, but the time means that it is connected to his commitment to repeal Labor’s tax cut. Overall, this plan may provide some Australians more money. Initially, it is only a short-term boost and disportionaly faviours the wealthy as those that rely on public transport receive nothing. The other key takeaway from Dutton’s reply was a continual commitment to cut down the public service alongside a focus on gas and his attack on permanent migrants with a 25% reduction. None of which really came as any surprise.

It means some pretty clear battle lines were drawn before Albo called the election the following day and no doubt both parties will continue based on these blueprints over the next 5 weeks.

Early fumbles and confusion

The timing of the Albos decision to call the election  has definitely impacted the coalition as they have been in a weird holding patten for a few weeks. This has brought out more than a few mistakes and miscommunication over the last month and seen the polls shifting in Labor’s faviour. Anyone expecting Peter Dutton to flip a switch and hit his straps, not he election campaign, was official would have been disappointed by the first couple of days. While Albanese was going after Dutton’s own seat of Dickson in Queensland, it seems the opposition leader was too busy confusing everyone with talk of more referendums. After his earlier discussions last month, Dutton seemed to muddy the waters by discussing three different ideas, including indigenous recognition, but also back away from enacting any of these, which was just plain bizarre.

If this wasn’t enough, his decision to discuss living primarily at Kirribilli house on Syney harbour compared to The Lodge in Canberra if elected has caused a bit of backlash. This is in part because of his comments around working from home arrangements as it seems like he wants to run the federal government from a harbour side mansion rather than the office. It is not really surprising as Scott Morrision made a similar decision, but to vocal, he wasn’t running on the same promise to force people back into the office.

Progress in Victoria, NSW and South Australia

A slight pivot away from federal politics for a moment, but some significant  progress on LGBTQIA rights had been made in the southern states. Firstly, in South Australia, the ban on conversion practices past last September has come into effect on the 1st of April. The ban means that those promoting or engaging in these practices could receive a five year jail term while sending people interstate for such practices could be punishable by three years in jail. Not to be out done a few days later NSW own ban on conversion therapy has come into effect. It means that these practices are banned everywhere except the Northern Territory, WA, and Tasmania.

In Victoria, things have gone a step further with Anti-vilification laws passing through parliament. The laws expand protections to include sexuality, gender and disability. It acts to crimilise an incitement to hatred  and physical threats, making these offensies punishable by 5 years of jail. It is a change that has been welcomed by LGBTQIA groups as well as the Jewish community as their has been due to recent increases in hate directed at both groups and the weaknesses of previous legislation to protect minority groups. Realistically, it was what we wanted to see on a national level from the Labor government last year but was quickly watered down out of political expedience.

Eduction seems to be the first battle ground for the ‘anti woke’ agenda

In the first week of the campaign, Dutton has done little to distance himself from Trump stile politics by discussing purging the ‘woke agenda’ from education. The liberals have framed this as removing ‘indoctrination’ and allowing students to think freely. However, I don’t think they would have a problem with encouraging students to believe in things like Mateships, the spirit of the Anzacs, patriotism, and religious teachings. Perhaps most notably about this discussion is that Dutton and other Liberal MPs have failed to explain or identify concepts considered ‘Woke’. It leaves the people of Austrlia to wonder, and we can probably only look at the USA to look at what may fit into this made-up category of progressive ideas. The obvious ones are obviously references to a gender spectrum, indigenous history, experience with colonism, sexuality, climate change, gender equality, communism and who knows what else.

The idea that removing these from curriculum prompts free thinking is laughable. What it does is censure teachers from discussing and educating students on issues. After all, if they can’t be introduced to these possibilities and ideas at school, how are they ever going to be able to consider different view points. Banning or presuring things to be removed is never going to encourage throught or stop indoctrination but perform the exact opposite. Only people who are afraid of new ideas want to suppress them. Next, he will be suggesting book bans. No one who follows these ideas has never been on the right side of history.

Calling out the Transphobic hate in this election.

As I previously highlighted in a previous post, Tara Burnet is running for the Greens in the seat of Cooper and is attempting to become the first Transgender member of parliament. It is not surprising that the electorate of Cooper has become a target of Transphobic propaganda. The pamphlets distributed by the Australian Christian Lobby deliberately targeted the Greens for “experimenting with biology.” These pamphlets targeted around transgender day of visibility we’re obviously planned for maximum impact on the community as well as an attempt to undermine Burnet’s campaign. However, she has been quick to call these actions out and asserts that she is “looking forward to seeing the voters of Cooper reject this imported culture war garbage” calling the pamphlets a “waste of paper”. I can’t help but wonder whether this will continue in Victoria now that  new vilification laws have passed parliament as it clearly goes beyond engaging in religious teachings.

The US tariffs

Trumps latest round of tariffs has taken a clear aim at Australian beef amongst everything else. The fact he has imposed tariffs on Penguins and Seals down on the uninhabited Heard and McDonald’s islands should really highlight the ridiculous nature of all this. However, his comments about our refusal to accept American beef show that his goal is to apply economic pressure so that we change standards and regulations based on American interests. This relates to biosecurity, the PBS, and news bargaining. None of these should be considered as we should not be allowing any nation to so heavily influence our policies and way of life, it would be seeding sovereignty to the American president.

The response from the Prime Minister was measured but clear as he refused to negotiate on these regulations. He has been fair in his criticism of Trumps actions as lacking logic and harming the American people. He has encouraged Australians to buy locally made products and invested to help exports find new markets. Meanwhile, all Dutton has said regularly is that he would get an exemption. There has been no explanation about how this miracle would be achieved, and we can only think that he might make a few concessions. We have seen that Trump does definitely seems to treat governments that express similar values more positively, which is perhaps what Dutton is counting on. A thought that means an LNP win means a movement to right-wing ideology and probably distancing ourselves from other allies. The main risk is the possible concessions he may make on these issues.