Many Australians believe the fiasco that is the U.S. could never happen here, but the writing is not only on the wall, it is clearly stated by our own Trump-wannabe Peter Dutton and his billionaire backer Gina Rinehart, writes managing editor Michelle Pini.
MANY PROGRESSIVE AUSTRALIANS believe the fiasco that is the United States today could never happen here.
The reality, however, is that that is what many Americans thought. This is a complacent and untenable position that can only end in tears.
The writing is on the wall — and also splashed, plastered, painted, recorded and videoed across every mainstream media cartel "news" outlet.
As Trump wreaks havoc on the world with, among other things, promises of turning war zones into resorts and threats of expunging every immigrant, democrat and anti-MAGA devotee from the face of the Earth, America’s “Golden Age” is, as The Shovel put it, more like a 'Golden Shower'.
Nonetheless, oligarchs and their disciples are eagerly preparing for an Aussie facsimile, which according to the country’s richest person should be achieved post haste if we could just all“be like Donald Trump”.
Gina Rinehart recently expressed in detail her desire that Australians be “inspired by Donald Trump” and urged business leaders to emulate Trump’s policy agenda because, she says, he is a “shining light for the world”. Ms Rinehart’s comments were delivered, apparently without irony and duly reported in The Australian.
Because who wouldn’t want to wipe out hundreds of thousands of war victims in order to turn their former home into a Trump/Gina-themed resort?
Indeed, why stop there? Why not just illegally take over any sovereign states, such as Greenland, about which Trump has stated, “I think we're going to get it one way or another”? That would ensure a few more valuable minerals for the already overflowing coffers of Australia’s richest individuals, should our natural resources finally dry up. After all, no billionaire should be caught dead without an abundance of those.
The mining magnate also told The Australian, 'most Australians knew their country was "off course"' and shared her favourite Trump policy picks including the following.
Setting up a “DOGE” to eliminate public services
Among the many disturbing policies Rinehart wishes to see replicated here is Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). That’s the one in which an unelected totalitarian despot brandishing a chainsaw sacks thousands of public servants without notice while allowing his four-year-old to redecorate the Oval Office with boogers.
A swift exit from the Paris Agreement
Also on Gina’s wish list is our prompt withdrawal from the Paris Agreement — a move that will ensure we burn coal and gas until we all die. (No, we’re not speaking metaphorically.)
Fighting the “woke culture cult”
Apparently, our leaders need to “hit the stop button” because they’re simply not bigoted enough according to Ms Rinehart, who praised Trump for “…declar[ing] there are only two true genders”.
Rinehart added:
“This reset now presents the leadership for other Western nations. This is the type of leadership our nation needs rather than … corporates who are too scared to take on this cult in Australia.”
Never enough tax cuts
Gina also wants to ensure tax cuts only ever benefit the obscenely wealthy so that the natural neoliberal order of things can be maintained.
Peter "Donald-Trump-for-evah!" Dutton
We already know that, as “inspired” by his hero Trump and encouraged by his donor Gina, should he win the next election, Peter Dutton will be doing his damnedest to create a special hell on Earth, as detailed above, just for us.
Dutton, who flies to Gina’s parties on her private jet and appears in promotional videos for her company, Hancock Prospecting, and for whom the billionaire hosts $14,000 per ticket fundraisers, has openly praised even Trump’s most insane ramblings, declaring him to be "shrewd", "reasonable" and a “big thinker”.
Though not yet elected to the top job, Dutton is the favourite in the PM stakes according to all the biggest Aussie billionaires – as well as in the polls so far – and has already indicated he will be modelling Trump’s policies should he be successful.
So far, these include “Getting Australia Back on Track”, by:
- creating a department of government efficiency dubbed, SMOGE (who says Pete has no imagination?), to slash government jobs and services;
- banning working from home for public servants and pushing women to “find job-sharing arrangements”;
- continuing with as much digging and drilling of fossil fuels as possible, for as long as possible;
- a nuclear "plan" with no costings, estimated date of completion or accountability;
- deporting any non-Liberal voting migrants; and above all
- more tax cuts and free lunches for obscenely rich people.
Dutton may lack the presence (and possibly intelligence) of Trump, he may also lack the level of wealth at his disposal, but what’s a few billion between megalomaniacs and oligarchs?
The "right kind" of free speech
After all, if Gina doesn’t want to splash too much of her $45 billion around, her buddy Elon Musk might throw in a few bob to help out a friend in need ... and also progress his stated:
“...push for the right kind of free speech in Australia.”
When Ms Rinehart flew to the States to attend Trump’s election victory celebrations, she also met with Musk to congratulate him on his unelected appointment to the Trump Administration, get tips on his “government efficiency” plans and also:
“To thank him for his loyal, steadfast support of President Trump despite all the lies and misrepresentations and worse that was thrown at the president (that’s what real friendship is)."
Many progressive Australians believe the fiasco that is the U.S. could never happen here but the writing is on the wall, printed, recorded and filmed by the media cartel, and clearly stated by our own Trump wannabe Peter Dutton and his billionaire backer Gina Rinehart.
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Follow managing editor Michelle Pini on Bluesky @michellepini.bsky.social and Independent Australia @independentaus.bsky.social.
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