Trump impacted coalition’s landslide election blunder
The internal review into the coalition’s crushing election loss blamed US President Donald Trump for alienating voters from Peter Dutton.
Part of the review was leaked to Nine newspaper, where it was revealed that Mr Dutton’s decision in February to cast fiery Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price in an Elon Musk-inspired role ultimately hurt the party’s campaign.
Mr Dutton’s reshuffle of the shadow cabinet also included the creation of a new platform based on “government efficiency” aimed at reducing “wasteful spending”, mirroring the US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
The report was prepared almost six months ago and its publication was postponed until after the last session of parliament.
Opposition aged care spokeswoman Anne Ruston has yet to see the review but said the Liberals needed to face the reality of what went wrong with the election.
“We understand there are many reasons why we did so poorly in the elections in May this year,” he told ABC RN on Wednesday.
“…we must be very honest with ourselves about what caused such a disastrous election outcome so that we can regroup and rebuild as we head into the election in 2028.”
The review is not far from being concluded, but it remains to be seen whether it will be fully released to the public, with the federal executive deciding whether to keep embarrassing or sensitive campaign details sealed.
The long-running Australian Election Study, which recently released its findings on the 2025 election, found Mr Dutton was the most unpopular prime ministerial candidate in its 40 years of analysis.
“According to voters, the leadership qualities he (Dutton) most lacked were inspiration, followed closely by compassion,” said Ian McAllister, co-author of the Australian Election Study.
“He has made a career of promoting division, attacking defenseless people, trying to divide society, engaging in culture wars.”
The same Australian National University-backed research found that Labor were rated as the best managers of the economy.
As sentiment turned against Mr Trump in his first days in office, election opponents likened Mr Dutton to the US president throughout the campaign.
“I think he’s tarnishing his own brand,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told ABC 7.30 in April.
“He has made a career of promoting division, attacking defenseless people, trying to divide society, engaging in culture wars.”
Labor won a landslide victory, winning 94 of the 150 House seats, while the coalition fell to 43 seats, leading to months of infighting.
Sussan Ley, who was elected opposition leader after the loss, was unable to shake speculation about her leadership as she reviewed party policies.
The recently announced policy of abandoning the net zero commitment comes amid rumors of a leadership challenge by Conservatives Andrew Hastie or Angus Taylor.
Next up is consideration of a new approach to immigration, which will involve another behind-the-scenes debate between moderate and right-wing factions of the party.
