Conservative mavericks in Australian politics set to make life difficult for Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull
THE rise of Donald Trump has emboldened some populist conservative politicians in Australia, who will make life difficult for Malcolm Turnbull in 2017, reports Peter Jean
- Cory Bernardi set to ‘split from Coalition’ to launch Donald Trump-inspired movement
- Conservative mavericks making life difficuclt for Turnbull
- Gina Rinehart asked about support for Bernardi while touring Adelaide
THE rise of Donald Trump has emboldened some populist conservative politicians in Australia, who will make life difficult for Malcolm Turnbull in 2017, reports Peter Jean.
AS counting began in the US presidential election, most Australian Coalition and Labor politicians were united in the belief Hillary Clinton would win.
Even the small band of conservative MPs who privately dubbed themselves “Aussie friends of Trump” thought there would soon be another Clinton in the White House.
In the hours before the results began to flow through, one Trump-supporting Coalition MP privately commented: “I think he’ll probably get close, but unfortunately, probably won’t get over the line.’’ Few politicians have ever been so happy to get an election result wrong.
The rise of Trumpism and the United Kingdom’s “Brexit” referendum don’t on their own explain the rise of conservative mavericks in Australian politics and the tensions within the Coalition.
But Mr Trump’s unlikely journey from property developer and reality TV show host to future leader of the free world has ensured populist conservative politicians around the world will enter 2017 with a greater sense of optimism and self-belief.
That’s bad news for Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, a Liberal moderate with a slender majority in the House of Representatives and an unruly Senate to manage.
Thanks to a taxpayer-funded secondment to the United Nations, SA Liberal Senator and Trump enthusiast Cory Bernardi was in Mr Trump’s hometown of New York on election night.
The trip to New York can only have encouraged Senator Bernardi to continue with his plans to expand his Australian Conservatives movement.
After the election, Senator Bernardi described the Australian Conservatives as the Right-wing version of the activist group GetUp! He wants it to be a cross-party group that campaigns on issues such as free speech.
If Senator Bernardi voluntarily left – or was forced out of – the Liberal Party, it could also provide him with the core infrastructure for establishing a new political party.
Senator Bernardi yesterday refused to respond to speculation about whether he would leave the Liberal Party next year.
“I am on leave. Others can gossip,’’ he said. Queensland federal Liberal National Party MP George Christensen is another outspoken Trump supporter who shares similar views to Senator Bernardi on issues such as the dangers of radical Islam. Mr Christensen has made it clear he doesn’t want to leave the Coalition but could reconsider his position if the Government drifted to the Left.
Losing Mr Christensen in the House of Representatives would be a far more serious blow to the Government than Senator Bernardi defecting in the Senate.
Without Mr Christensen, the Government would lose its one seat majority and be forced to rely on the support of independent and minor party MPs to remain in office.
On the Senate crossbench, One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has also been inspired by the Trump phenomenon. She is looking to use the current public despair with mainstream political parties to win seats in state parliaments ahead of the next federal election.
Former prime minister John Howard responded to the first wave of Hansonism in the 1990s by acknowledging the concerns that had drawn some voters to One Nation, but remaining firm on core Coalition policies. Mr Turnbull and Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce are likely to take a similar approach in 2017 as they try to prevent the emergence of an Aussie Trump.
THE ENEMY WITHIN
EARNING a “Triple-A” political credit rating from the trio of Howard-era ministers he dumped from Cabinet seems like an impossible task for Malcolm Turnbull.
Dubbed the “three A’s”, Tony Abbott, Kevin Andrews and Eric Abetz are traditional conservatives united in believing that politics is their vocation and that they were forcibly retired from the ministry too soon.
Mr Abbott promised not to be a “wrecker” when he lost the prime ministership but also made it clear that he intended to defend his government’s legacy.
Since then, Mr Abbott has frequently made public comments which have been far from helpful for Mr Turnbull.
This Tweet yesterday, amid rumours Senator Cory Bernardi would leave the Liberal Party next year, was typical: “To be strong & united, the Liber
al Party cannot take the base for granted & must convincingly argue for its values & principles.”
Senator Abetz frequently conducts media interviews in which he urges the government to stay true to conservative principles.
Mr Andrews tends to be more circumspect.
Mr Abbott’s supporters have pointed out that Mr Turnbull could effectively shut the former PM up by appointing him to the Cabinet.
But Mr Turnbull has made clear he has no plans to promote his old rival anytime soon.