Australian Conservative Leader Loses His Seat In ‘Trump Factor’ Backlash
Australia's Peter Dutton went down to a stunning defeat in today's election. It came just five days after the Conservative Leader in Canada also lost his seat due to perceived ties to Donald Trump.
Source: The Independent
The Australian opposition leader likened to Donald Trump for apeing his policies has lost his seat as the incumbent Labor government secures a landslide win.
Peter Dutton has suffered more than a 10 per cent swing against him to Labor rival Ali France, who has so far claimed nearly 59 per cent of the vote under Australia’s two-party preferred system, with election analysts projecting the conservative leader’s ousting.
It comes as Australia’s centre-left prime minister Anthony Albanese secures a second term just days after Canada’s centrist Liberal Party, led by Mark Carney, retained government, in what will be seen as part of an international backlash against the Trump administration.
Earlier on Saturday, Coalition senator and campaign spokesman James Paterson conceded Trump’s unpopularity in Australia had definitely played a part.
“One factor I think we can all acknowledge and recognise is the Trump factor. It was devastating in Canada for the conservatives, where the conservative leader Pierre Poilievre lost 20 points over the course of a few months,” Mr Paterson, seen as a rising star in the Liberal and National party coalition, told the ABC.