Billionaire Mining Asshole/Donor Urges Australia's Right Wing To Keep Things Trumpy And Make Oz Hungary Or Italy

[hatrack]

Gina Rinehart has encouraged the Liberal party to stick with Donald Trump-like policies after the opposition’s electoral thumping on Saturday night in a campaign overshadowed by the controversial US president. The mining billionaire also singled out Italy and Hungary, which are governed by populist rightwing coalitions, as countries Australia could aspire to, where people were “abandoning the myths or untruths of the left” and returning to “common sense and truth”.

Anthony Albanese won a second term as prime minister with a crushing victory against his conservative challenger, Peter Dutton, who failed to brush off comparisons with Trump and ended up losing his own seat.

In a lengthy statement to the Daily Mail on Monday, Australia’s richest person broke her silence following the Coalition’s wipeout on Saturday night. “The left media did a very successful effort, frightening many in the Liberal party from anything Trump, and away from any Trump-like policies,” she wrote. “This has been especially obvious this year, with the Liberals instead becoming known as the ‘me too’ party. Trump-style ‘make Australia great’ policies via cutting government tape, government bureaucracy and wastage, and hence being able to cut taxes, too scarce in Australia this year to rate a mention.

“No doubt the left media will now try to claim that the Liberal loss was because the Liberal party followed Trump and became too right! The two simply don’t add up!” Rinehart urged the Liberals to return to “commonsense and truth” principles as a first port of call while rebuilding the party, which together with the Nationals could be left with as a few as 42 seats. She added voters were “very short on understanding” that new investments create revenue and living standards, leading to jobs and economic prosperity. “It shouldn’t be rocket science, but apparently it is,” Ginehart said.

EDIT

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/may/05/gina-rinehart-liberal-party-trump-australia-election-ntwnfb