Trump’s Divisive Rights-Eroding Policies Are Already Shaping a Future Dutton Government 

As the 2025 election draws closer, Liberal opposition leader Peter Dutton continues to cop criticism for his lack of policies, his dearth of vision and his long-term openly racist points of views –  however, this is somewhat unfair.

Mr Dutton had long been aware that the now current second US Trump presidency was potentially on the horizon, and with that having been secured in November, the Liberal leader has since been biding his time until the inauguration of Donald Trump to US head of state, in order to take his cue on just how viable far-right dog whistling policies might be in this brave new political climate.

To be fair, since the 20 January inauguration of president Trump, Dutton has been coming to the table with his borrowed Republican vision, which in the US, appears to be an attempt to wind back the social justice gains spurred by the 1950s civil rights movement, along with the workers’ rights and social services set in place by the Eisenhower administration’s 1930s New Deal.

Trump has appointed billionaire Elon Musk to the position of “special government employee” to chair the newly created Department of Government Efficiency, and Dutton, none-too-fazed about being seen to mimic the leadership of another country, has since appointed Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price as shadow minister for government efficiency, just days after the inauguration.

So, while Trump has, over his first weeks in office, progressed policies to sow racial division and reverse minority and workers’ rights and protections, Australians should take note that one of the key contenders for the next Australian prime ministership is likely to attempt to locally reproduce the full-throttle white supremacist policy drive currently underway in the USA.

White men need only apply

Over his first fortnight in office, the returned Trump has commenced rounding up undocumented migrants and deporting them, which has included the detaining of Native Americans as potential illegals, he’s abolished recognition of transgender people in law, so that only two genders are recognised, and he’s set about dismantling diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs.

So, it should come as no surprise that Dutton, who has a long history of attacking people of colour for political gain, has latched onto Trump’s positive affirmations in respect of DEI programs being harmful to society.

DEI requires that governments hire diverse workforces – or not just white men when applied in Australia and the United States. Trump’s been inferring that such initiatives need to be dropped as they result in less skilled and qualified people in high positions, and his administration is encouraging these DEI government reforms to be replicated in the private sector.

In his first major policy speech delivered to the Menzies Research Centre on 31 January, former home affairs minister Dutton took aim at the 36,000 additional public servants that the Albanese government has hired over the past three years.

“Now, positions advertised have included culture, diversity and inclusion advisers, change managers, and internal communication specialists,” Dutton told those gathered at the MRC last Friday. “Such positions, as I say, do nothing to improve the lives of everyday Australians. They’re certainly not frontline service delivery roles that can make a difference to people’s lives.”

In specifically raising “culture, diversity and inclusion officers” from a potential 36,000 positions he considers could be cut from the public service, Dutton has revealed that he has his sights set on programs that serve to counterbalance a system that has traditionally favoured white men for employment purposes and public positions.

And while the ending of DEI in the US will harm women in general, Native Americans, Black people, Hispanics and LGBTIQ people, amongst others, if Dutton does ever get the chance to cut inclusion programs in this country, women, First Nations people, Muslims and LGBTIQ persons will all likely be on the receiving end.

Slashing social services

Dutton has further cast Senator Price as our nation’s answer to ‘tech bro’ Musk, as he’s entrusted the Northern Territory Country Liberal member with government efficiency, which is an optics-friendly label serving to camouflage another Trumpian policy the Coalition is seeking to repeat, which involves the slashing of public service staff and social services in favour of small government.

“As part of the changes, I recently announced to the Coalition’s Shadow Ministry,” Dutton continued last Friday night, “I’ve appointed Jacinta Price to the new role of shadow minister for government efficiency. Should we win the election, Jacinta’s new role will fall within the Prime Minister and Cabinet portfolio to coordinate a reduction of inefficient spending across government.”

“We will cut wasteful spending, stop inflationary spending and restore prudent spending. Our government will scale back the Canberra public service in a responsible way,” the Liberal leader continued, and he went on to ensure that “frontline positions in the defence, national security and intelligence space”, won’t be affected.

So, just as the Trump administration is hinting at cutting back on the measures progressed last century to ensure a more equitable society, it can be expected that a Dutton government will slash positions in the social sector, which will mean that with minimal staff left to oversee social services, services such as public health, education and welfare, are then likely to be reduced.

Dividing a nation for political gain

Dutton, a former Queensland Police Service officer, has always played the race card during his political career, as he’s demonised those of non-European descent in order to garner the racist white Australian vote.

The leader of the opposition boycotted the 2008 Rudd government apology for the Stolen Generations, he’s decried 1970s Lebanese migration to this country, called out a nonexistent “African youth crime wave” in Victoria, and he’s called for white South African farmers to be allowed to migrate here, as they’re the right type of refugee in his estimate.

And whilst Albanese did hold the Voice referendum in an attempt to install an Indigenous advisory body to government, despite how ineffective this may have been in advancing First Nations self-determination, Dutton played the race card to whip up a fear campaign about an all-too-powerful Indigenous body, which wasn’t fair on the rest of the community as it favoured Aboriginal people.

The potential rising of Price to the position of government efficiency minister should further sound alarm bells in respect of Indigenous affairs, as the senator is too shadow minister for Indigenous affairs, and Dutton has made clear that he wants to audit Aboriginal programs and services for efficiency, which would hint at a stripping back of already underfunded First Nations services.

Price was on 2GB shock jock Ben Fordham’s radio program on Monday to spruik her potential new position as minister for government efficiency, outlining that she’s taking aim at the funding of Welcome to Country ceremonies, as well as First Nations foreign policy positions and the First Nations ambassador, which she considers “ideologically-driven, and not beneficial for all Australians”.

Indeed, Trump has only been in power for a fortnight and he’s rolled out a raft of prejudicial and divisive orders and policy measures that politicians of the Dutton ilk could once only dream of, but now that this nation’s “closest ally” is getting away with it all, one can only expect that the Coalition’s ultraconservatives, with Dutton at the helm, will attempt a similar conjuring trick if voted into power.