Donald Trump securing his tenure at the White House has sent shock waves across Australia. The long and at times torturous phenomenon that is the US election campaign was given blanket coverage by the Australian media. And even though Australians are no shrinking violets when it comes to expressing themselves, many were gobsmacked and appalled by Trump's potty-mouthiness and blatant misogyny. Few media pundits in Australia ever imagined Trump's campaign would ever end in victory.
In the aftermath of Trump's success, conservative politicians like One Nation's Pauline Hanson are jubilant. Even though Hanson's party only received 4 per cent of the primary vote in the Senate at this year's general election, her populist and nationalistic policies fan racism in Australia and they often have the two major parties ducking for cover.
Ever the opportunist, as the news of Trump’s victory broke, a grinning Hanson posed for the assembled media, with a glass of champagne in hand to toast his success. Politicians of Hanson’s ilk have also been quick to express their vindication for what they regard as Trump’s blatant disregard for climate change, and his hard-line approach to “illegal” immigrants. In Australia at present, more and more draconian policies are being put forward to deter any would be asylum seekers from travelling to our shores.
It's likely that Trump's victory will embolden politicians like Hanson. Even the detractors within prime minister Malcolm Turnbull's government, including the man he deposed, Tony Abbott, have also been buoyed by Trump's populist rhetoric that has struck a chord with so called Middle America. This is hardly surprising that Abbott, despite his short-lived and gaffe prone tenure as prime minister, is an avowed sceptic of climate change and disinclined to see any merit in bolstering multiculturalism.
After the initial shock of Trump’s success, politicians are now adopting a more pragmatic approach. Labor’s opposition leader Bill Shorten, who described some of Trump’s policies as “bonkers”, is now making more conciliatory statement about need to maintain a good working relationship with the president-elect. Turnbull is stressing the “vital importance” of our strong alliance with the US.
It’s likely that Australia’s Pacific Rim trade agreement that includes the US, Canada, Japan and eight other countries (but tellingly not China) or as it is more commonly known - the Trans- Pacific Partnership - which was finalised last year, after almost a decade of negotiations, is tipped to be torn up by Trump. A likely trade tariff war between the US and China has many worried about the possible economic fall out for Australia. China is one of Australia’s most significant trading partners. China’s insatiable demand for our iron ore and other minerals has tipped billions of dollars into our economy.
It remains to see what the knock on effect from Trump’s success will have on Australia’s political landscape. I just hope we don’t lurch further to the right. It’s difficult not to feel pessimistic that this will not occur. If populist policies can sway unsuspecting voters who aren’t fussed by the devil in the detail, we may be heading into unchartered waters. We will just have to watch and wait from the next instalment from the Land of the Free. It could be a bumpy ride.
