Trump's shadow looms over Australian elections: Will Dutton's right-wing policies resonate with voters?

The political heat in Australia is on at its highest before the general election, but for opposition leader Peter Dutton, this election has presented a new challenge. Comparison with US President Donald Trump. Following the loss of the Conservative Party in the recent Canadian election, there is now also a similar fear in Australia that the image linked to Trump can hurt the Conservative Party here as well. Dutton is now attempting very hard to position himself apart from Trump, but experts maintain that his right-wing and hard-line policies have created an image for voters where they view him as an Australian Trump.

abolishmennt the "Vote Agenda"

Peter Dutton has a reputation for tough policies and anti-migrant rhetoric. He not only labeled public broadcasting hate media, but also advocated cutting 41,000 government jobs and abolishing the "Vote Agenda". Under such circumstances, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese appears to be in front of him in the race for the election.

What kind of influence does Trump have during this election?

Most analysts feel that Trump's intervention is indirectly affecting the election. US-imposed global tariffs, having Trump-aligned industrialists in Australia and escalating tensions with America have made voters question whether a Dutton-like style is secure for Australia. Even Dutton is in for a close battle in his own seat of Dixon, where he leads by merely 1.7% margin.

Elections on these matters are being conducted

The central point of this election is inflation and increasing cost of living. The two major political parties, Albanese's Labour Party and Dutton's Liberal Party, have both offered tax cuts and relief packages. However, Dutton's Trump-inspired campaigns like "Make Australia Great Again" have left middle-class voters perplexed. Dutton's party's Trump-inspired policies have also lost minorities and the youth vote.

This time there is no Chinese security threat

The Chinese issue has also been quite muted in this election. Unlike previously, there was not much of a focus on China's threat this time, while recently Chinese warships going around Australia and live fire exercises were making headlines. One of the reasons for this is that Trump's policies are now being viewed as a greater global threat than China. This is why there have also been questions raised regarding Australia's security agreement AUKUS if the US can now be trusted.

What do the Australian polls indicate?

Several polls shortly before the vote suggest Albanese's Labour Party might return to power, but it was not certain whether it would win a majority. Young voters this time, frustrated with the current political system and potentially vote for change, can be the decisive factor. They say they can't entirely blame Trump for his role in the event of Dutton's loss since his party failed to employ good tactics in courting the masses.