Latest news with #TrumpetofPatriots
The Age
06-05-2025
- Politics
- The Age
Dutton tried to make my people political footballs. Australians chose not to play
In the wake of the federal election, one thing is abundantly clear: Peter Dutton misread the nation. While Australians grappled with a cost-of-living crisis, a fragile health system, and worsening housing insecurity, the former opposition leader chose to focus on the wrong things. In the final weeks of the campaign, the opposition doubled down on stoking fear and division, reviving culture-war rhetoric, attacking diversity initiatives, and once again turning Aboriginal people into political targets. They aligned with fringe narratives pushed by groups like Advance Australia and Trumpet of Patriots, who sought to undermine and discredit cultural practices like Welcome to Country. Dutton appeared to assume that because the country rejected the Voice to parliament, there was a green light to keep attacking Aboriginal people – this time by going after Welcome to Country and other expressions of identity and sovereignty. It might have seemed like a politically advantageous tactic. It wasn't. Australians saw through it. 'It's dividing the country,' Dutton said of the ceremony, which I recently described in this masthead as 'an inclusive protocol, as simple and profound as removing a hat in respect [or] standing silently for an anthem'. It didn't have to be this way. Australians want leadership with a bold economic vision, focused on uniting people. They want practical solutions: affordable groceries, accessible health care, a path out of the housing crisis. Instead, what they were offered was a campaign that leaned into division and recycled resentment from the 2023 referendum. It was no surprise to me that this approach failed to resonate. Loading Coalition Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price said on election night that 'if you sling enough mud during the election, it will stick'. But that sentiment overlooks the reality of this campaign. Voters didn't respond to mudslinging against the Coalition. They responded to substance. The strategy of division didn't stick. It backfired. For many Aboriginal people, this campaign was another exhausting chapter in a long history of being vilified for political gain, treated like political footballs. After campaigning hard against the Voice to parliament, Dutton could have shown some humility or a willingness to listen. Instead, he kept attacking us, our culture, our traditions, our very presence in the national story. When Dutton announced he would not stand in front of an Aboriginal flag if elected prime minister, Australians noticed. They rejected the idea that the nation's First Peoples are the problem. They voted for leadership grounded in values, not vendettas.
Sydney Morning Herald
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Sydney Morning Herald
Dutton tried to make my people political footballs. Australians chose not to play
In the wake of the federal election, one thing is abundantly clear: Peter Dutton misread the nation. While Australians grappled with a cost-of-living crisis, a fragile health system, and worsening housing insecurity, the former opposition leader chose to focus on the wrong things. In the final weeks of the campaign, the opposition doubled down on stoking fear and division, reviving culture-war rhetoric, attacking diversity initiatives, and once again turning Aboriginal people into political targets. They aligned with fringe narratives pushed by groups like Advance Australia and Trumpet of Patriots, who sought to undermine and discredit cultural practices like Welcome to Country. Dutton appeared to assume that because the country rejected the Voice to parliament, there was a green light to keep attacking Aboriginal people – this time by going after Welcome to Country and other expressions of identity and sovereignty. It might have seemed like a politically advantageous tactic. It wasn't. Australians saw through it. 'It's dividing the country,' Dutton said of the ceremony, which I recently described in this masthead as 'an inclusive protocol, as simple and profound as removing a hat in respect [or] standing silently for an anthem'. It didn't have to be this way. Australians want leadership with a bold economic vision, focused on uniting people. They want practical solutions: affordable groceries, accessible health care, a path out of the housing crisis. Instead, what they were offered was a campaign that leaned into division and recycled resentment from the 2023 referendum. It was no surprise to me that this approach failed to resonate. Loading Coalition Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price said on election night that 'if you sling enough mud during the election, it will stick'. But that sentiment overlooks the reality of this campaign. Voters didn't respond to mudslinging against the Coalition. They responded to substance. The strategy of division didn't stick. It backfired. For many Aboriginal people, this campaign was another exhausting chapter in a long history of being vilified for political gain, treated like political footballs. After campaigning hard against the Voice to parliament, Dutton could have shown some humility or a willingness to listen. Instead, he kept attacking us, our culture, our traditions, our very presence in the national story. When Dutton announced he would not stand in front of an Aboriginal flag if elected prime minister, Australians noticed. They rejected the idea that the nation's First Peoples are the problem. They voted for leadership grounded in values, not vendettas.
ABC News
05-05-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
After millions of dollars and texts, Clive Palmer's Trumpet of Patriots fails to win lower house seat
It turns out spamming millions of voters with unsolicited texts doesn't bode well in elections. At least it didn't for billionaire Clive Palmer's party, Trumpet of Patriots. Mr Palmer told the Daily Telegraph his party spent a whopping $60 million on the election campaign, splashing advertisements across newspapers, television screens, social media platforms and billboards ahead of polling day. The media blitz aimed to promote about 100 Trumpet of Patriot candidates gunning for seats in the lower house and in every state in the Senate. Election essentials: A billboard in Hobart promoting Trumpet of Patriots. ( ABC News: Kate Nickels ) Despite the colossal campaign spend, this year's election results show the fringe party has failed to pick up a seat in the House of Representatives. There is still some hope for the Senate, but those results won't become clear for at least another week while counting continues. Inspired by US President Donald Trump, the party offered a platform of cutting immigration, limiting foreign ownership of Australian property and removing the "woke agenda" from schools. As of 6pm on Monday night, Trumpet of Patriots had won a total of 249,165 first preference votes. That's less than 2 per cent of the primary vote, which places it alongside minor parties such as Family First and Legalise Cannabis Australia. Analysis from media firm Adgile shows Trumpet of Patriots spent more than $24.1 million across television ads, on-demand video content and YouTube advertisements this election. That's the most money spent by a party on campaign ads this election, closely followed by $24 million for Labor, $20.7 million for the Coalition and $4 million for the Greens and other parties. Trumpet of Patriots also flooded millions of Australians with unsolicited text messages ahead of polling day, without providing a way to "opt out". The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) said the behaviour was Trumpet of Patriots delivered a flurry of text messages to Australians. ( ABC News: Ashleigh Davis ) The texts promised to "cut immigration by 80 per cent" and said "you don't need to be welcomed to your own country". The messages were authorised by "H Fong". Harold "Harry" Fong is described on the party's website as a "highly respected barrister" and the lead Senate candidate for Queensland. The ABC understands frustrated internet sleuths found Mr Fong's contact details and began hounding him with texts. Trumpet of Patriots candidate Harold "Harry" Fong. ( Supplied: Trumpet of Patriots ) Monash University's head of politics Zareh Ghazarian said the election result was "a clear indication Australians were just not convinced by what the Trumpet of Patriots was promoting". "Family First ended up with roughly the same votes as the Trumpet of Patriots," Dr Ghazarian said. "I can hardly remember seeing any sort of advertisement or paraphernalia from Family First." In a major blow to Trumpet of Patriots, the party's star candidate Suellen Wrightson lost her bid for the NSW seat of Hunter. She won just 3.44 per cent of the vote despite appearing in lengthy television ads in prime time slots. Loading YouTube content Located in the heart of NSW's coal country, Hunter emerged as a Labor's Dan Repacholi held onto the marginal seat with a 4.8 per cent swing. In a post to X on Saturday night, Ms Wrightson congratulated Anthony Albanese and said the party would learn from the experience. "Importantly we will use this decisive Labor victory to re-evaluate our position, listen, learn and continue to present the important political issues to the Australian people," she said. Read more about the federal election: Want even more? Here's where you can find all our 2025 Catch the latest interviews and in-depth coverage on One Nation delivers stronger results Although Trumpet of Patriots failed to make a dint in the election, results show there is still an appetite for right-wing policies. Pauline Hanson's One Nation One Nation ran more than 140 candidates across the country. Pauline Hanson was not on the ballot paper this time because she has another three years left on her Senate term. ( AAP: Darren England ) AEC data shows more than 830,000 Australians voted for One Nation in the House of Representatives, which Dr Ghazarian said "indicates significant appeal across the community". "It's a big result for the party even if it's not going to mean they'll win a lower house seat," he said. A close Senate contest is Those results are still too early to call. Dr Ghazarian said Labor's landslide victory over the weekend disproved the misconception that Australia's political climate was similar to the United States. "This is something Labor had really picked up on throughout their messaging, the idea of doing things the Australian way," he said. In his victory speech on Saturday night, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese criticised attempts to borrow from political strategies overseas, without singling out Mr Trump. "Our government will choose the Australian way because we are proud of who we are and all that we have built together in this country," he told the crowd. "We do not need to beg or borrow or copy from anywhere else."
Sydney Morning Herald
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Sydney Morning Herald
Late Coalition ad splurge ineffectual; Clive's millions count for nothing
A late advertisement splurge by the Coalition wasn't enough to stop its election wipeout on Saturday, as Labor shifted its strategy towards attacking ousted Liberal leader Peter Dutton in the final two weeks of the campaign. The Labor Party spent only marginally less than Clive Palmer's Trumpet of Patriots on video advertising across television, streaming platforms and YouTube over the five-week campaign, while the Coalition left most of its spending late, in what might be considered a crucial misstep in a campaign plagued by own goals. The data, compiled by measurement firm Adgile, shows the major parties spent big on advertising with the commercial television networks over the five weeks. The Trumpet of Patriots spent $24.1 million on video advertising according to Adgile, in return for no seats. It was followed by Labor's $24 million, and the Coalition, which spent $20.7 million. The Greens spent $1.46 million, split fairly evenly across television and YouTube and the teal independents spent most of its $657,000 on the Google-owned platform directly targeting voters. The total ad spend for each party, particularly the Trumpet of Patriots, is likely to be significantly higher as the data does not include print newspaper advertising, outdoor, social media, radio and digital spend. The figures show Labor spent its money fairly consistently over the five weeks, while the Coalition started slowly, spending twice as much in the final week of the campaign than in the first week. Early in the campaign, Labor's messaging focused on its policy platforms, while the Coalition, which was criticised for being thin on policy details, instead focused its efforts on attack ads on Labor and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, spending most on policy messaging in the second last week of the campaign.
AU Financial Review
05-05-2025
- Politics
- AU Financial Review
Four charts that show who won the $70m election advertising war
When Australians sat down on Saturday night to watch the election results pour in (and delight in the sudden lack of text messages from Clive Palmer's Trumpet of Patriots), the vast majority – 2.4 million, on average – watched the ABC. Network Seven came second, with 580,000 viewers, followed by the Nine Network (527,000) and Channel Ten (97,000). Millions more tuned in for a few minutes to check in, the night's TV ratings reveal. But the show was effectively over within 2½ hours of polls closing on the east coast.
