Coalition's resurrection hopes slump as punters dump Temu Trump

It would take a miracle of messianic proportions for Peter Dutton to defy the odds and secure victory in the forthcoming Federal Election, says founder Dave Donovan.

DESPITE being an alumnus of St Paul's Anglican School, located in the ominously prophetic suburb of Bald Hills in northern Brisbane, Peter Dutton is reportedly not particularly religious.

In any case, as he takes a break from a bruising fortnight of campaigning this long weekend, relaxing over a non-sacramental wine or two in one of his many houses, perhaps Dutton may pause to consider what this time of year, Easter, really represents — utterly implausible miracles. That even if you have been mocked, derided, crucified and killed stone dead, don't give up. If you keep on trying, you just never know. Be like Jesus and don't leave any stone unturned, especially one sealing you in a crypt.

Maybe he might consider those things. But probably not. Because, to be fair, even the son of god might baulk at a job as big as resurrecting Peter Dutton's faltering electoral hopes. IA does not want to speak ill of the dead, naturally, but based on the first two weeks of the current electoral campaign, Peter Dutton is floundering worse than a half-eaten Friday prawn in an uncollected wheelie bin next Wednesday.

Dutton’s Trump-mania is a dumb political move

As Australians look on horrified at the chaos in America, the last thing they want is to emulate that in Australia.

To briefly sum up the debacle, for a start, many people have taken to deriding Peter Dutton as Australia's “Temu Trump”. That is, a cheap, second-rate version of the real thing. But now with the original strongman becoming deeply disdained almost everywhere, Dutton’s halting impression of Trump is fast becoming even more distasteful.

Somehow, incredibly, the Opposition Leader’s pratfalls, gaffes, hijinks and flagrant fibs are seen as even less charming than those of the Teflon Felon. Aussies, it seems, have made up their minds about Dutton. After watching the chaos wrought by Trump in America, they seem to have decided that you have to be very careful what you "Wish" for.

If Dutton had any sense at all – a proposition that even the most careful election watchers have so far found only faint evidence to support – he would stop sipping that unholy wine and get royally pissed.

But then again, you never know. Anything is possible for the Liberal Party faithful. And particularly in Australia, miracles can and do occur at Federal election time.

No, Peter Dutton is not the messiah. But he does have someone on his side who is almost as influential in this Down Underworld. The unholy “Sun God” himself, Rupert Murdoch, flanked by his many malignant minions. Against all the odds, for example, “Rupee” manifested the ascension of the "Mad Monk", Tony Abbott, and engineered the reanimation of “Lazarus with a Triple Bypass”, John Howard. Both utterly unelectable in the minds of almost all sane individuals, but nonetheless risen up via the fiendish interventions of the Sun’s many Heralds and his ever-trumpeting host.

The lesson here today is that nothing is certain under the Sun. Nothing is assured. Need we even mention “Pentecostal” Scott Morrison’s election “miracle” of 2019? Dearly beloved, this publication is, despite rather shamelessly referencing religious tropes throughout this seasonal editorial, staunchly and avowedly agnostic and secular. Nevertheless, we would like to casually mention that Morrison’s subsequent administration (amongst many other calamities) featured a literal plague of biblical proportions.

To state it baldly, IA considers that Peter Dutton would make a dreadful leader for Australia. Australia appears to agree.

Seldom has the danger he poses to our nation been better communicated than by an excommunicated Murdoch scribe by the name of Tony Koch on X/Twitter.

‘Dutton's failure is because he is a nasty, negative, standover bully who is not very bright. He relies on his size, his ugliness, to make people cower.’

Unfortunately, Tony’s concludes that post by suggesting Dutton's many unsavoury attributes may preclude him from becoming Australia's next prime minister:

‘Won't work old mate. The dogs are barking the numbers in your party for a replacement.’

Tony Koch is a good man and an idealist. But perhaps a trifle naive, because Tony Abbott was a literal pugilist who punched a hole in the wall beside a female political rival’s head, amongst other vile acts, as IA faithfully reported here.

Sadly, no behaviour is too untoward to disqualify someone for high political office. Not in America, as we have seen with the felon Trump, and especially not in Australia, where the Murdoch media and its fellow dissemblers hold a manifestly market-distorting near monopoly over metropolitan media circulation, and therefrom public opinion.

It is understandable to write off such obviously inadequate candidates for public office. It seems wildly counterintuitive that such people could garner public support — Donald Trump being an obvious example. He was written off against Clinton and again against Harris. But he won, despite the prevailing tide of opinion polls suggesting he was behind leading up to both elections.

In Australia, polls taken this week point to a range of outcomes, from solid trouncing to devastating defeat for Dutton’s pretenders on 3 May.

Federal Two Party Preferred (2PP) polling this week (%):

News Poll (News Corp): 13 April: ALP 52 – L-NP 48
Roy Morgan 14 April: ALP 54.5 – L-NP 45.5
Resolve (Nine) 15 April: ALP 53.5 – L-NP 46.5
Essential (Guardian) 16 April: ALP 55 – L-NP 45

All this points towards a convincing win. But the polls also pointed to a similarly convincing win for Bill Shorten in the lead-up to the 2019 Election. So convincing, indeed, bookmakers Sportsbet paid out on a Labor victory on the day of the election, even before the polls had closed. Bill Shorten seemed assuredly on his way to victory for Labor in 2019, but he wasn’t.

This publication trusts the polls even less than we do bookies, which isn't much. But many people still adhere to the old adage, “follow the money”, putting their faith in the tote.

Trump, Dutton and calling a fascist a Fascist

Only last week we endured with horror Trump’s re-election to the U.S. presidency. Now we must face the inescapable fact that his return has emboldened fascists everywhere.

The current betting odds, according to bookies (Sportsbet, TAB, Ladbrokes), show Labor well ahead.

But the ALP may not win.

Even though no first-term government from either side of politics has been thrown out of office after only serving a single term since 1931, the result is still uncertain.

Opinion polls and expert opinions notwithstanding, Independent Australia’s laboriously made message this Easter is not to count your eggs before they’re laid.

And one more thing. Elections are not just between two political parties. They are not a horse race or a war. In fact, our system of representative democracy is about individuals standing for election to represent their constituents.

Peter Dutton, for example, might lead his party to victory on Saturday, May 3, but still lose his own seat. His seat of Dickson, north of Brisbane, is one of the most marginal seats in the country, and Temu Trump holds it by a mere 1.7%. Recent polls suggest he is behind in Dickson, which also has very credible candidates in Labor's Ali France, The Greens' Vinnie Batten and Independent Ellie Smith.

The bookies say Dutton will win anyway. But who knows? At Easter, even the impossible may be possible.

But this time, probably not. Because few, it seems, are keen to see a second coming of Peter Dutton.

Peter Dutton dismisses 52-48 2PP to Labor polling in his seat of Dickson & insists he's up 5 points. His latest conspiracy theory is GetUp have become Teals who are really Greens & Labor members. He mentions teal coloured shirts but the IND colour is maroon in Dickson. #ausvotes pic.twitter.com/992DJiDBRQ
— David Marler (@Qldaah) April 12, 2025

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Follow& Dave Donovan on X/Twitter @davrosz and Bluesky @davrosz.bsky.social. Follow Independent Australia on Bluesky @independentaus.bsky.social, X/Twitter @independentaus and Facebook HERE.