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Peter Dutton, who wants to be prime minister, has been taking aim at “wokeness.” But Australia’s electorate isn’t America’s, and there are lines he won’t cross.
Feb. 4, 2025, 12:01 a.m. ET
It’s been called the Trump playbook, the Trump card, the Trumpist approach, campaigning as “Donald Trump lite” and even “going full Trump.”
Election season is heating up in Australia, where the opposition leader, Peter Dutton, has been sounding a lot like President Trump. He has lashed out at a “woke brigade” of banks, grocery stores and a chain of pubs for addressing environmental and Indigenous issues. He has lamented about young men being “disenfranchised and ostracized” by diversity initiatives. And he’s set up a shadow minister for government efficiency.
Mr. Dutton, the head of Australia’s main center-right political party, hopes to oust Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in an election that must be held by May 17. Mr. Albanese has been under pressure to rein in post-pandemic inflation, and Mr. Dutton has accused him of being too distracted by “woke” issues, like Indigenous rights, to address high prices and unaffordable housing.
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But last week, a widely followed poll had Mr. Albanese’s approval rating at its lowest point since he came to power in 2022. Fifty-seven percent of respondents in the NewsPoll survey said they disapproved of his performance. A head-to-head comparison showed Mr. Dutton closing in on Mr. Albanese, a sign that his political messaging was getting at least some traction.
