Step up, Peter Dutton, it’s your time to shine. Straighten that back. Polish that pate. Maybe don’t try to smile.
Tonight’s budget reply speech is a big moment for the one-time Queensland cop turned property developer in his thrusting quest for the highest political office. It’s truly extraordinary that a politician considered unelectable not so long ago finds himself with a shot — albeit a long shot — at being prime minister. A lot of work has gone into the Dutton project, not least from the masterminds of the Murdoch media who’ve been prepared to accentuate the positive and eliminate the negative. Don’t mess with Mr In-between.
Canberra observers might recall the last time Dutton was called to greatness but had the sceptre snatched from his grasp at the last moment. That was in 2018 after Liberal hardliners were finally done with Malcolm Turnbull and smoothed the way for their man to take over — only to see Scott Morrison slide on through on a wing and a prayer.
Monster mash
Confidence had been high in the Dutton camp. Dutton had worked on projecting his soft side. Wife Kirilly had declared in a hostage video that he was not a monster. She and the kids had flown down, dressed in their best for the day of the ballot, but had to slink off later to drown their sorrows over a coffee in Kingston. Having missed once, Dutton now has it all to play for.
The information to emerge has it that he will see off Anthony Albanese’s tax cuts — which add up to approximately one cup of International Roast a week in a year — by cutting fuel excise temporarily. This is not original. John Howard and Morrison did the same. The further you travel the more you save, so it’s a useful ploy, especially for outer suburban seats. There are whispers too of a new housing policy and cuts to immigration.
“We want to restore the dream of home ownership, we want to make sure that we can properly defend our country and keep Australians safe and address the crisis that exists at the moment across the economy in many ways.” he told the ABC yesterday, hinting at a version of “this Australian carnage”.
A brave face …
The free advice from cheerleader Peta Credlin is that Dutton’s budget address — “effectively his opening salvo in the election campaign” — will need to show a credible plan to overcome “the economic stagnation, social division and military weakness” that’s taken hold under Albanese.
“[This] has created what his own shadow treasurer has called a lost decade, and now imperils our very future in a world of ever accelerating dangers.”
The message is: be strong, be brave.
These comments are an insight into how frenzied and delusional it can get inside the conservative bubble. They are out of the “end of Western civilisation as we know it” box. Expect to see more. As Murray Hogarth wrote here last week, being Australia’s Donald Trump is a fraught path for Dutton. It might satisfy the yearnings of the opposition leader’s chief sponsor and belle of the Mar-a-Lago ball Gina Rinehart, but it runs the risk of scaring the horses. Australians don’t like Trump and what he does.
Copy that
Despite this, Dutton continues to ape the most dangerous US president the world has seen. He’s promised to slash 40,000 public service jobs, targeting the education and health departments. As he explained, in Trump-like terms:
“We have a health department and an education department — the Commonwealth government doesn’t own a school, we don’t run a hospital, we don’t employ a doctor or nurse or a teacher.”
He said the Albanese government’s tax cuts as a “hoax”, using the language favoured by Trump. He has continued to assert that he, not Albanese, could deal with Trump over carving out tariff exemptions for Australia. This is Dutton at his most disingenuous. Notably The Australian’s éminence grise Paul Kelly gave him a slap around the chops for this grandstanding:
“Who would be gullible enough to believe this nonsense? “Let’s get one thing clear given the pathetic local politics over who is to blame for the imposition of steel and aluminium tariffs. The answer is obvious: Trump is to blame.”
Kelly continued with surprising candour:
“With Trump, there is no leader’s masterplan, no coherent exposition of how he intends to change the world and deliver a better world and better America. Like a true autocrat, his word is his command. His minions fall into line and execute his orders no matter how damaging and disruptive as they send a wrecking ball through countries long friendly or alliance partners with the US.”
Tonight we see how Dutton resets himself for the campaign. Throughout his time in Parliament, he has always played the strong man. He may be tempted to feel his time has come, with the weak, meek and thoughtful now being decidedly out of fashion in Republican America. With conflicting conservative voices in his head it will be telling to see which Dutton emerges. It’s likely his last best shot at the job.
Dutton is a thuggish oaf.
Not awfully helpful. Try again.
It’s true though. He is a thuggish oaf. Just look at his treatment of the Biloela four.
Any Australian who votes for Dutton deserves the chaos and manipulation of our taxes and pensions that we saw in the previous 8 years.
Privatisation will take over again (see childcare shark frenzy and reduced care)
In the USA, the half a nation who didn’t vote on “principle” caused the rise of a world problem.
Unfortunately Mr Potato Head’s followers are unlikely to read this worthy tome.
Dutton should mull on Paul Kelly’s observations on Trump. Trump is a narcissistic vandal who is compelled to create crises so the focus stays on him. When fallout starts from a particular crisis, he simply creates another one and, as far as he is concerned, moves on. Dutton is simply not smart enough or sufficiently amoral to pull off such manoeuvres, which is a kind of back- handed compliment to him, I suppose. Dutton is envious of Trump’s “success” but lacks the titanic egotism necessary to drive such an essentially blind flight across the political skies.
The ancient Greeks well knew the impending fate of men like Trump who believe they are gods but, while Trump will,like Icarus, eventually crash and burn when he flies too close to the sun, Dutton’s fate will be barked shins and scraped knees when he stumbles in his race with an ordinary man like Albanese
Oh James, Dutton has a titanic ego and his morals can be questioned. The one thing I agree with you on is that he’s not very smart.
Patrick White once derisively called Australians “second hand Americans”. Then, as if eerily fulfilling a prophecy, along came Peter Dutton: the man from Planet Trump.
Americans are the victims of their own hubris. They believe in the demand that they return to a mythologized greatness. The MAGA message is their Kool Aid. In Oz the Conservatives simply believe they were born to rule and the myth of their so called superior economic management. The cost of living factor is clearly in their favour. American hubris and Trump in particular is not. The latter will go a long way to cancelling out the former. Dutton’s strong man persona is too closely aligned to Trump’s. Nice Pete is not going to cut it. Tough Pete has already spooked the horses.
You can’t polish a turd. Trump is the gift to Labor which keeps on giving. Like Trump Dutton is a nasty toxic racist. Both men are incompetent and unfit for high office.
Oh, but you can polish a turd. Look at The Dud. A piece of crap nobody ever thought would be a leader. Now he’s polished that turd and is trying hopelessly to attract votes by saying Albo is weak. Typical Turd
Trump looks to have shined up a treat
I sincerely hope that enough Australians are ‘magnanimous’ enough to understand that there must be justice in all aspects of our lives. Pandering to the already wealthy industrialists and landowners will not really pass the pub test. And continually making policy that advantages multinational corporations that contribute as little as they possibly can to the well being of Australians … and the future of our country.
I ask voters to think hard this election time. Be fearful of what you wish for as we cannot afford to go backwards to the past policies of Coalition Federal Governments that sacked public servants in order to give fat contracts to their privileged ‘mates’. And Coalition Governments that have refused to face up the undeniable facts that we are heading towards a climate that will not support life as we know it; and an economy that will punish too many young and struggling Australians …. through no fault of their own.
It is time to move cautiously and cleverly to cope with a world that is becoming more dangerous than anyone alive to day has yet seen. We must learn to trust the clever people in our country, the scientists, the medical practitioners. the teachers, the researchers, the engineers, the farmers, the intelligence agencies, the defense personnel … all of us! And especially the humble and the wise. We are a great country and everyone can contribute … so let’s smarten up!
Oh my heavens! What a heart felt submission. I agree whole heartedly to what you are saying. Such a pity that the people in power have such a tin ear
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Dutton, exQld cop, property developer! A most unlikeable fellow. Divisive. I hope people who are considering voting for him and the LNP remember the other unelectable To y Abbott and how well that turned out! Funny he behaved exactly as he has always behaved, so will Dutton. Don’t trust Dutton to act in the nations interest.
Dutton can’t hide Or masquerade who he is. His own party dislike him. Malcolm Turnbull when asked got it right, A BULLY’ & we’ve seen plenty of that especially towards women, minorities and female journalists. Dutton’s appalling behaviour toward Dickson Labor candidate a classic example. Dutton accusing Ali France of using her disability to gain favour. Never mind Ali France was on board in Dickson during floods whilst Pete was grovelling around the rich at a dinner the price of which would feed a family for months. Dutton’s had a ‘makeover’ by PR duo Guerin & Topham. Same salesmen who marketed Morrison & Crisafulli. The emperor is wearing no clothes is the fable that comes to mind. Do Australians want a Trump afficianafo? No whitewash can alter Dutton’s bullying mean spirited angry mam temperament & personality.
His own party preferred Scotty from marketing. That tells you all you need to know.
Mr Dutton is as sad and vacuous as Mr Trump is dangerous and vacuous. I can only hope that Australia votes for the good of their children. No Nazi salutes. No victimisation of the poor and vulnerable.
Dutton is and always remains Constable Plod! He hasn’t got an original bone in his body
Dutton bids fair to be worse than Morrison.
Morrison governed by not governing. It didn’t go down well.
Dutton wants to govern using Fear, Division, and Distraction.
The party of Robodebt.
The Dud Spud is not particularly smart, as witnessed by the gleeful adoption of so much of the Trump approach. This may go down well with “the belle of the Mar-a-Lago ball” and others of that ilk, but isn’t cutting it with ordinary Australians. He seems incapable of getting his head around the notion that the Australian Constitution and the American Constitution are two entirely different animals. In the Excited States the President is, under the Constitution, given virtually limitless power to do as he (and it’s always been “he”) wants, whereas in Australia there are checks and balances – the Prime Minister is not in anything like the same position, and Parliament is supreme. Even if Dutton were to become PM (which God forbid) he wouldn’t be able to bluff and bluster his way around as Trump is able to do.
And then there’s the very real possibility that he may do a Howard and loose his seat – Lindsay is, after all, the Coalition’s most marginal seat in Queensland, and Ali France seems to be running a pretty slick campaign up there.
Dutton’s electorate is Dickson, not Lindsay. Ali France for Labor has shaved his margin twice, now down to 1.7%. There’s also an Independent Ellie Smith standing, she might attract Liberal voters who can’t stomach Dutton. Turnbull’s one word description of Dutton was famously THUG .
Dutton has not the sophistication nor the maturity to navigate us through what will be trying times. Only a Greens labour independent coalition with the EU as role model will advocate for Australia effectively on the world stage and amongst the domestic waves of chaos set upon us by the Orange Wipe in the white house.