The Trump policies Australians hate – and the ones they want here

United States President Donald Trump has gained support in Australia for some of his controversial plans to overhaul government as 51 per cent of voters back his plan to cut waste in the public service.

An exclusive survey also shows that 40 per cent of Australian voters back the idea of increasing oil and gas production after Trump pledged to “drill, baby, drill” to find more fuel.

Donald Trump’s push to cut diversity in the public workforce did not have strong support in Australia. Credit: AP

But the findings also reveal a strong objection in Australia to some of the American leader’s signature policies, with 42 per cent saying they oppose scrapping rules that encourage diversity, equity and inclusion – the DEI rules that Trump frequently condemns.

The survey, conducted for this masthead by research firm Resolve Strategic, highlights the mixed views on Trump in the Australian electorate as Australian leaders are being asked whether they agree with sudden announcements and policy shifts in the White House.

Resolve director Jim Reed said the findings did not mean Australian leaders would find success by copying Trump.

“Most Australians either dislike or are wary of Trump, and his recent behaviour has only reinforced that, but that’s not to say they disagree with everything he is doing for the US,” he said.

“Voters are quite open to cutting our own government waste, foreign aid and expanding resources production, for example, but they don’t need Trump to tell them that.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton have been cautious in responding to Trump after he aired a widely criticised plan to remove Palestinians from Gaza and falsely claimed that Ukraine started its war with Russia three years ago.

Albanese has repeated Australian support for a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians, while Dutton has said Trump was “dead wrong” on Ukraine and warned that Trump’s tariff policy would damage the Australian relationship with the US.

When the Resolve Political Monitor asked voters to name the leader and party who would best handle Trump, 34 per cent named Dutton and the Coalition, while 18 per cent named Albanese and Labor. Another 10 per cent said “others” and 38 per cent were unsure.

One of Trump’s policies – to withdraw his country from the World Health Organisation – is rejected by 49 per cent of Australian voters asked if the US policy should be applied in Australia.

While 40 per cent favour a boost to oil and gas production, 42 per cent reject Trump’s policy of withdrawing from the Paris Agreement on climate change, which binds countries to targets to reduce carbon emissions.

The survey found that 26 per cent are in favour of withdrawing from the Paris Agreement and 32 per cent are unsure.

Credit: Matt Golding

“Politicians can probably learn more from Trump’s campaigning success than his executive orders,” said Reed.

“He made it clear who he stood for, what he stood for, that he would bring about change and what he would do. Americans voted for a change, not the detail of that change.”

The Resolve Political Monitor surveyed 1506 eligible voters from Tuesday to Sunday, a period that included widespread media coverage of Trump’s decisions including the removal of some federal workers.

Most of the survey was conducted after mining magnate Clive Palmer announced last Wednesday he would support a small party, Trumpet of Patriots, after he spent $117 million on his United Australia Party at the last election.

The survey found that support for “other” political parties – the category that includes small parties such as Palmer’s – fell from 6 to 4 per cent, suggesting there were no gains for Palmer.

“I see nothing in the results or comments to suggest Clive Palmer’s party has made even the slightest dent yet,” Reed said.

“This suggests that copying Donald Trump will not work here despite Palmer being the closest thing we have to him.”

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