China has slammed Peter Dutton and compared him to Donald Trump in a scathing editorial
THE rest of the world is tuning into the Turnbull government’s drama — and international media has some choice words for Peter Dutton and Malcolm Turnbull.
AUGUST 24, 20187:16AM
WORRIED about how this ongoing Canberra squabble is making us look on the world stage?
Good news! Other countries are “WTF”-ing us as well.
China’s state media has taken a cheeky swing at possible prime minister Peter Dutton, describing him as “a low version of Trump” in a scathing editorial.
The piece, which appeared in the hawkish Global Times newspaper, referenced Mr Dutton’s controversial asylum seeker policies, his boycotting of a 2008 national apology to the Stolen Generations and his remarks about African crime gangs in Melbourne.
“This Dutton can be a regarded as a ‘semi-Trump’,” the editorial said.
It described him as “notorious”, saying: “He believes that climate change is fabricated and mocked the island residents in the Pacific Ocean who are facing the loss of their homeland by climate change.
“He is also accused of being ‘racist’.
“We can imagine the consequences he will bring to Australia if he is in charge of the country. This is the most embarrassing situation in Australian politics. If such a person is to take charge of Australia, what outcome can be expected now?”
The editorial has not been included on the English-language version of the newspaper’s website.
Chinese media compared Peter Dutton to Donald Trump in an unfavourable editorial.Source:News Corp Australia
The Global Times has a history of being critical of Australia. Amid worsening ties between Beijing and Canberra, the newspaper has described Australia’s behaviour in recent years as “baffling” and “repugnant”, accusing us of being an “anti-China pioneer in the last two years” and warning that Canberra “cannot afford worsening ties with China”.
And it’s not the only Chinese outlet to criticise the events taking place in Canberra right now.
The Communist Party’s People’s Daily has described Australia as being where a “foreign government which annoys China from time to time has collapsed”, according to The Australian.
China’s media also took a jab at Malcolm Turnbull, saying Australia was “sunny” before he came into power.Source:News Corp Australia
It also hits out at the current leadership, saying Australia “used to be a sunny and unsophisticated country” until Mr Turnbull took over and “fussed with China from time to time”.
The ongoing spill has made international coverage elsewhere, including the New York Times and Al Jazeera.
In 2015, shortly after Mr Turnbull ousted former prime minister Tony Abbott, the BBC described Canberra as “the coup capital of the world”.
This time around, the headlines are just as savage. Here’s how the rest of the world is responding to the leadership spill.
CNN’s headline:
“A week of whiplash in Australian politics, and it’s only Thursday.”
CNN outlines the “political shenanigans in Australia’s capital” to its readers before launching into an explanation as to why Mr Dutton’s “unpopularity” means that, even if he does land the top job, he’s not likely to keep it beyond the next election.
Fox News’ headline:
“How Australians dump their prime ministers.”
Fox News, courtesy of Associated Press, is reporting that the country is in “a new era of political instability that most Australians hate,” before delivering the cold, hard facts: “No Australian prime minister in the past decade has lasted a full three-year term before being dumped by his or her own party.”
The Times’ headline:
“Rebels plot second strike on Malcolm Turnbull after leadership vote.”
The Times is reporting that the “beleaguered Australian prime minister is facing a second attempted coup by rebel MPs days after he narrowly defeated his challengers.”
Bloomberg’s headline
“Why a strong economy is doing nothing for Australia’s Turnbull.”
Bloomberg has dished on Mr Turnbull’s failure to “preserve the political capital he enjoyed after ousting Tony Abbott in 2015” despite overseeing a hiring boom in Australia’s economy. “Even as the economy sails along and inches closer to full employment, something vital has been missing: wages growth,” the article states.
Reuters’ headline:
“Australian PM challenger Peter Dutton in quotes.”
Reuters has assembled a selection of notable quotes from the former QLD policeman in recent years. For example this statement on repositioning his image: “It is good to be in front of the cameras where I can smile, and maybe show a different side to what I show when I talk about border protection.”
TVNZ’s headline:
“If Peter Dutton becomes Australia’s PM it means bad news for NZ in general, Jacinda Ardern in particular.”
TVNZ has published an opinion piece written by columnist John Armstrong who writes that a Prime Minister Dutton would be an enormous step back, not just for Australia, but for “already worsening trans-Tasman relations.” He refers to Mr Dutton as “Queensland’s master of the dark arts of politics” and writes: “Just at the very moment when circumstances demand that an Australian politician chock-full of vision, integrity and credibility step forward into the breach — the Lucky Country lucks out and instead lands itself with Peter Dutton.”
The Financial Times’ headline
“‘Brutal’ Australian politics behind likely demise of PM Turnbull.”
The Financial Times refers to Canberra’s “decent into Italian-style instability” as “infuriating to the public”. As per the FT, the leadership spill is the result of “instability fuelled by hyperpartisan culture, ideological spats and structural weakness.”
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