Dutton finally flicks the switch
The Opposition Leader has opened his heart on his economic and security convictions. It is an attempt to restore confidence in the Libs’ fidelity to tax reform.
The Opposition Leader has opened his heart on his economic and security convictions. It is an attempt to restore confidence in the Libs’ fidelity to tax reform.
Peter Dutton has moved to recharge his election campaign with an aspirational pledge for the indexation of the personal income tax scales to signal his credentials as an economic reformer.
Peter Dutton says a Coalition government would spend more than Labor on defence and provide the money earlier.
The Opposition Leader has attacked the Prime Minister for his ‘lack of interest’ and inexperience in dealing with matters of national security.
Peter Dutton has been an effective Opposition Leader most of this term, and had the Coalition in a competitive position. But two things have gone terribly wrong.
The public, to a large extent, is being offered phoney and glib answers to its cost-of-living grief.
Australia is now caught in a retail politics contest while the world is being transformed.
Dutton has done a remarkable job bringing the Liberals from a hopeless position to being competitive against a weak Labor government. But are they really competitive in terms of their own agenda?
The immediate task is to stay calm, keep making the trade argument for a concession but take the essential leap to greater defence self-reliance.
While it’s essential for Australia to reassess our ties with the US, Malcolm Turnbull’s insistence that Albanese and Dutton must now adopt a tougher and aggressive stand towards Trump constitutes a demand that, right now, is pure folly.
Original URL: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/author/paul-kelly/page/3