Coalition leader Peter Dutton rejected suggestions that the next federal election could be won if Trump like policies against people who are transgender were embraced.
When the idea was put to Dutton by reporters this week, he quickly dismissed the proposal.
“Australia is a sovereign nation, and as prime minister I’ll act in our country’s best interests, and I’ll make decisions that I think are in the best interests of all Australians,” Dutton said.
“We don’t have any plans to change our position in relation to that issue.”
As US President Donald Trump came to power this week, he introduced an executive order declaring that the US government would only recognise two genders, male and female. Political analysts have noted that anti-transgender advertisements run during his election campaign had a significant effect on attracting supporters.
Following President Trump’s inauguration several members of the Nationals voiced support for similar policies in Australia with Sky News leading the charge to get MPs to voice support for a similar campaign in Australia.
National senator Bridget McKenzie was asked about the Trump administrations gender policy, as was Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan, and National’s leader David Littleproud.
Littleproud said he thought there was a lot of merit in focusing on transgender women’s participation in sport, especially at the professional level. He called for a respectful debate about transgender people.
“We just need to take a deep breath on this, it doesn’t need to get emotional. We just need to understand it also comes back to respect. It comes back to respecting that biological basis that we can’t get away from when we’re born.
“I think we can do that in a sensible way without vitriol, without upsetting anyone, but just respecting there are some changes I think in our society that we need to lean into.” Littleproud said.
As The Guardian reported, Sky News staff were heard explaining that there had been a directive from “the big boss” to push the issue. Sky News boss Paul Whittaker has not responded to the accusation.
It follows the broadcaster earlier this month laying down a challenge to come on the station and make a clear statement on his position on transgender rights.
It wasn’t just on Sky News that the call for Dutton to take an anti-transgender position was being pushed. In the Australian Financial Review Senator Matt Canavan also called for a more aggressive stance.
“I think the thrust is to protect young women in sports, and I think we should take a leaf out of that part of Trump’s book as well,” he said.
“It is completely unfair and unsafe to make young biological women compete against biological males. It is absolutely ridiculous and defies all common sense.
“The only place it seems to make any sense is Canberra where common sense goes to die. Everywhere else in the country can see this is ridiculous and really unsafe.”
Former National leader Barnaby Joyce conceded that it’s unlikely to be a high priority for most Australians who are more concerned about cost-of-living pressures, while South Australian Liberal senator lex Antic also praised the USA’s move against inclusion and diversity policies.
While Opposition Leader Peter Dutton is remembered for his call for corporate Australia to “stick to their knitting” during the debate over marriage equality, and regular speaks about his opposition to things that are “woke”.
He memorably banned marking IDOHBIT, the international day against discrimination on the basis of gender and sexuality, when he served as Defence Minister in the Morrison government, but he’s shied away from coming out against transgender Australians.
Appearing on the Sky News program Sharri earlier this week Dutton told host Sharri Markson that he believed that the return of Donald Trump as US President would cause a revolution in thought.
“I think there is going to be a new revolution that comes with the Trump administration in relation to a lot of the woke issues that might be fashionable in universities and at the ABC,” Dutton said.
“They just aren’t cutting it around kitchen tables at the moment, where people can’t pay their bills under the Albanese cost-of-living crisis.” he added.
At the 2022 election former Prime Minister Scott Morrison put the issue on the election agenda when he hand-picked Katherine Deves the head of Save Women’s Sport Australasia to be the candidate for the seat of Warringah on Sydney’s northern beaches.
The Liberals had lost the seat to independent Zali Steggall at the previous election, ending the political career of former Prime Minister Tony Abbott. The Deves campaign to regain the seat was a failure, but it’s also credited with contributing to the loss of other Sydney seats that were held by moderate Liberal MPs.
This week Deves commented on her election loss, saying she’d been unfairly portrayed by the Australian media and been targeted by journalists who she described as “lazy, uninformed and ideologically captured”.
In a social media post Deves said if her lead had been followed in 2022 Australia could have been a world leader in “pushing back against unwanted ideas about sex and gender that rob lesbians, women, parents and families of their rights, promotes medical experimentation on children while teaching salacious, inaccurate and impoverished ideas about the human body, identity and relationships.”
The former Liberal candidate’s message was that Australia should bring in similar policies to those introduced by President Trump.
“Now is our chance to redeem ourselves & not fall behind.” Deves said.
The Opposition Leader will also have at the forefront of his mind the negative reaction the Albanese government got when it announced it would not include questions about gender and sexuality in the next Australian census due in 2026.
The story dominated the headlines for a fortnight, the government’s position was not embraced by the electorate and it left PM Anthony Albanese to do an almost complete reversal on this issue.
For now, it seems Peter Dutton has ruled out a federal election with gender wars as a key theme.
