These pieces of ammunition, especially the idea of TheElites getting everything you do not and sneering at you, will be hammered home in the 18 months we have until the next election. Given the vulnerability to this messaging for people on low incomes, in outer suburbs and semi-rural areas, Labor should be on the front foot on this because that’s where the Liberal party see their heartland – disinterested people, too busy working to make a living, with minimal critical analysis skills, swallowing the little lie grab phrases from Dutton and co they manage to see here and there. What Dutton hopes to do with all of this is turn Australia’s daily news cycle into a war-zone. Lie + have it amplified + cause outrage and confusion + have people fight over it and become more disconnected from politics + move on + then lie again. Aaaaaand rinse and repeat. The news will no longer inform you, it will simply be a tool that politicians like Dutton utilise to amplify their latest lie or their latest culture war head-on-a-stick, so our hearts and minds and our neighbourhoods become divided every moment of every day. The battleground belongs to Dutton at the moment. The challenge is for our media and our progressive politicians, and every Australian who cares about the future of our country, to come out from behind in this game and get in front.
