This week in Parliament featured everything from smelly fish to the federal budget, as politicians ramped up their attacks ahead of the May 3 election. With the official announcement of the election date, the battle lines have been drawn—the Coalition is pledging cheaper petrol, the Albanese Government is promising permanent tax cuts, and the Greens are resorting to cheap political stunts.
During a heated Question Time, Greens MP Stephen Bates, a relatively unknown representative from the Brisbane electorate, took aim at the Prime Minister over reports of a potential visit by US President Donald Trump. However, his question carried a thinly veiled swipe at Opposition Leader Peter Dutton:
“My question is to the Prime Minister. Prime Minister, why would you invite Donald Trump to Australia when you have a Temu Trump sitting right next to you?”
The Speaker immediately ruled the question out of order.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese responded by reaffirming Australia’s diplomatic ties with the US, “Australia has a long-standing relationship with the United States. It’s been an important ally since the Second World War.”
“President Trump was elected by the American people last October. We respect democratic outcomes in Australia. It’s something that I’m very proud of—that we have orderly transitions of power, and we had that between when Mr Morrison lost the election.”
The “Temu Trump” sledge wasn’t new. Last November, Labor MP Andrew Charlton made a similar comparison, posting on Facebook:
“Peter Dutton is just a Temu Donald Trump. He’s trying to copy Trump’s style, but it’s all knock-off politics—off-brand and missing the quality Australians deserve. Australians want real leadership, not cheap imported imitations.”
Meanwhile a few days back, Today host Sylvia Jeffreys put the question directly to Dutton, asking what he thought about being labelled a cut-price Trump.
President Trump’s has announced an that initiative offers a USD 5 million (AUD 7.89 million) pathway to US citizenship, replacing a long-standing investor visa program. Dutton too has hinted at reinstating Australia’s scrapped “golden ticket” visa for wealthy investors, echoing Trump’s newly announced “Trump Gold Card” scheme.
Speaking at a Liberal Party fundraiser, Dutton suggested the visa could return, stating,
“I think we’ll bring it back… whether we do it before the election or look at a different design, we’ll have to consider all of that.”
With just a few more weeks to go before Australians cast their votes, the gloves are well and truly off.
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