Opposition Leader Peter Dutton began his Budget reply by thanking Australians for listening and reminding them that they would soon have a say in determining the future of Australia.
The Budget and the Budget reply are election pitches, delivered on the eve of an imminent May 3 election, with the Prime Minister up and off bright and early this morning to see the Governor-General.
Labor have spent the hours since their Budget speech campaigning on its highlights, and now it is the Opposition’s turn to do the same.
There have been a few spoilers offered to dampen the outrageous claims of Treasurer Jim Chalmers, who attempted to paint himself as the tax-cutter-in-chief. Meanwhile, Shadow Treasurer Angus Taylor did an unusually poor job of addressing questions from the press leaving Mr Dutton to step forward.
Mr Dutton came out with a polished presentation.
He set the scene of a nation under poor governance – a place where economic strain has exhausted the Australian dream.
‘The truth is, Australia can’t afford three more years of the Albanese government,’ said Mr Dutton, of the post-apocalyptic economy. ‘[The election] is a sliding-doors moment for our nation. A returned Albanese government, in any form, won’t just be another three bleak years. More economic mistakes will take a lot longer to recover from. Setbacks will be set in stone.’
There have been valid complaints about the Opposition failing to oppose the major policy mistakes of the Left which have set Australia on the path of terminal decline. From mass migration to Net Zero, we have witnessed what the minor parties like to call the Uniparty.
This Budget reply is probably the last chance Mr Dutton will get to turn around and face Mr Albanese.
Which he managed to do, and as he turned, he wielded four pieces of ‘critical policy’ and aimed them at Labor.
- The energy price reduction legislation.
- The lower immigration and more homes for Australians legislation.
- The keep Australians safe legislation.
- The guaranteed funding for health, education, and essential services legislation.
This, we can assume, is the bulk of Mr Dutton’s election pitch.
The thrust of these policies is certainly on brand for populism, but whether or not the detail can deliver is something his competitors will debate.
Now that the Prime Minister has announced the election he had to announce, there is no point treading water.
‘Deficits as far as the eye can see,’ said Mr Dutton, of the Treasurer’s Budget.
He then called out the reckless spending of the Albanese government, which has been Labor’s band-aid solution to rising middle-class poverty.
It is likely the bulk of older earners and families who remember what good economic times look like will hear Mr Dutton’s words, shun the freebie parade, and seek solid economic reform. The increasingly large voter base of recent university graduates are less likely to do so. Promises of wiping their debt with working-class taxes is a no-brainer. For comparison of motivation, it would be like Mr Dutton offering to pay mortgages. This is how the ideological warping of handouts can reduce appeals to morality and sanity. We see this dangerous mix of greed and desperation sink collectivist nations made weak by wealth redistribution. It is unclear whether Australia has crossed the point of no return or if Mr Dutton has the charisma to convince enough of the younger population to vote selflessly for the repair of the country rather than cash in their hand.
For those scrolling through to see the highlights, Mr Dutton took a stab at Chris Bowen’s green hydrogen heart, effectively saying the vanity project is dead. Then he doubled down on the threat to sack 41,000 public service workers to save $7 billion per year, ignoring Senator Jacqui Lambie’s recent meltdown in an interview alongside Senator Hume.
He ran hard on energy prices, picking his groups to woo to the polls which include farmers and businesses who are being crippled by power bills. Yes, there were a few laughs at Mr Albanese’s expense.
That said, I am not letting the Liberal Party off the hook here, as they deserve a large chunk of the credit for this Renewable energy disaster which they are now attempting to ride in on a white horse to fight. Mr Dutton effectively echoed the criticism of minor parties like One Nation, which the Liberals failed to listen to over a decade ago.
On the topic of energy, Mr Dutton went heavy on gas, saying it must be first and foremost for Australians. It’s a good indication of how crippled solar and wind have become. Indeed, Mr Dutton is campaigning against industrial-scale renewable projects within national parks, despite the Liberals attempting to out-green the Teals on these projects in recent years. At least this is an admission of their error, but an apology wouldn’t go astray. It is unclear whether a Liberal victory would save states like Queensland, New South Wales, and Victoria from high-profile, widely hated wind farms, particularly along coastal areas.
‘We will curtail Union militancy in workplaces…’ The shift of tone earned a cheer and came as a welcome declaration of war. Mr Dutton expanded on his point, knowing that he has the momentum of public support following the dreadful revelations about CFMEU behaviour.
He agitated that injury inflicted on the Left by making a further pledge to small and medium businesses to facilitate growth (well, to allow them to stem some of the bleeding from wounds inflicted during Covid).
Mr Dutton’s migration section of the Budget reply was less convincing. While opting for reduced migration, overwhelmingly the public sentiment is for deportation. Cutting the program by 25 per cent still leaves a rapidly expanding migration problem and does nothing to solve inner-city housing for Australian workers who do not want to travel hours every day, or give up their dream of working in the city. There are too many people here now, and it is not only about housing, it is about culture and social coherency. It is about the experience of living in Australia and Australians complaining that they have become strangers in their own country. These are perfectly valid complaints and here, Mr Dutton has walked too close to the ABC-friendly line.
The rest of the speech relied on his credentials as a police officer and former Defence Minister. After pulling a momentary-Albanese by identifying as part of the working class, he promised to roll out an antisemitism task force, increase knife laws, stop the boats, and deport dangerous non-citizens. Responses will be about 50-50 to this from the conservative base and give minor parties on the right a crack to exploit.
‘We are ready to govern. We are ready to deliver…’ he finished.
The games begin.
Flat White is written by Alexandra Marshall. If you would like to support her work, shout her a coffee over at donor-box.
