It would be foolish for Peter Dutton’s supporters to assume that Donald Trump’s victory in the US presidential election is a harbinger of things to come when Australians go to the polls early next year.
But they can certainly be forgiven for enjoying this moment.
While Dutton has more in common with Trump than Anthony Albanese, the American electoral system and political culture are very different from ours.
However, a Trump presidency is a disaster for Albo’s progressive agenda across the board, from climate change policy to managing our trade relationship with the United States.
And then there is Australia’s ambassador to the United States, Kevin Rudd. Rudd, appointed captain by his good friend Albo, is far from the best candidate for that position with the return of the Trump presidency.
However, Albo was so sure that Trump would not win before the US election that he went on record and confirmed that Rudd was not going anywhere.
It wasn’t long ago that Rudd described Trump as “crazy” and a “traitor to the West.”
He has since tried to suck up to Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance in case Trump was successful in his comeback.
Not that Albo’s previous comments about the president-elect are much better. After Trump was first elected in 2016, our now-prime minister said that Trump “scares the shit out of me.”
If Albo found it terrifying back then, he should prepare for the impact now.
Anthony Albanese will brace himself for impact as he prepares to meet US President-elect Donald Trump face to face for the first time.
Trump will almost certainly withdraw the United States from the Paris climate change agreement, as he did the last time he was president, before Joe Biden rejoined the United States into the international agreement.
In fact, there are reports that Trump could go even further in halting climate action, withdrawing entirely from the United Nations process that underpins international talks, an even more stunning blow to the world’s plans to reduce carbon emissions. greenhouse gases.
And that’s just the beginning of the divergence between Trump’s political priorities and those of Albo, whose administration aims to have renewable energy supply 82 percent of the country’s electricity by the end of the decade.
In other words, it’s a recipe for further chaos in the country’s energy market as Australians grapple with rising electricity bills.
If Labor backs down in the next election but retains the government with the support of the Greens, the deterioration of Albo’s relationship with Trump will likely only accelerate.
That is, if Trump even bothers to deal with him.
Albo kissed the ring yesterday, issuing a obsequious statement to the media congratulating Trump on his victory and explaining his respect for the American democratic system.
The statement was issued before Kamala Harris conceded, but Albo wanted to get into Trump’s good books as quickly as possible.
Perhaps the only policy area where Trump and Albo could come to an agreement is the importance of the AUKUS nuclear submarine plan, a political script that the Greens quickly demanded Albo tear up following Trump’s victory.
It can be seen that the political debate will become increasingly difficult for Albo to handle in the months and years to come.
In contrast to the attitude Trump must have toward Albanese, it’s easy to imagine the returning president welcoming Dutton to the Oval Office and heaping praise on the conservative conservative if he were to become prime minister.
After all, he enthusiastically endorsed Scott Morrison as a “titanium man” when our former prime minister visited Washington, DC, shortly after winning the 2019 federal election. Trump hosted him at a state dinner, no less.
And what might Trump say about Dutton’s nuclear energy policy if asked, as well as the Labor Party’s attempts to demonize it? That would certainly provoke a headline-making response.
Perhaps the only policy area where Trump and Albo could reach an agreement is the importance of the AUKUS nuclear submarine plan.
But as already mentioned, Trump’s success in the United States is no guarantee of Albo’s downfall in Australia.
Mandatory voting is a big difference between our electoral systems, and a figure like Trump is unlikely to win under such a system. Even less when the preferential vote is added.
Furthermore, American voters are more despondent about the state of their society, their economy, and their politics than Australian voters.
The American mainstream feels more left out, although with many of Albo’s actions since forming government, Australians are quickly reaching that point too.
Albo’s disastrous mismanaged Voice campaign and saga of corporate class promotions have exposed the Albanian government to justified ridicule.
As did the utter stupidity of a weak immigration policy which led directly to adverse outcomes with rapists and child sex offenders released into the community following a High Court decision.
That said, our Prime Minister remains in the box to reflect almost 100 years of history and secure a second term in government. The last time a first-term government lost re-election was in 1931.
That being said, the last former US president to win re-election after losing office in a midterm campaign was 130 years ago, back in the 19th century.
So maybe it’s the right time to make history?