Impact of the MAGA Movement on Australian Politics: Insights from Minor Party Leaders

The MAGA movement that propelled U.S. President Donald Trump to power may be taking root in Australia.

The leaders of the emerging Freedom Party and the more established One Nation in Victoria believe that a shift in middle-class Australia is underway, but how political parties can capitalize on this trend remains uncertain.

“What we’re witnessing is a global shift from globalism to patriotism,” said Morgan C. Jonas, president of the Freedom Party, in an interview with The Epoch Times during a “counter” Australia Day event in Melbourne in response to “Invasion Day” protests.

“I believe that the trend of the radical left is coming to an end, and it will be replaced by patriotism and national pride.”

Jonas points out that Trump’s policies on border security, withdrawing from the Paris Climate Accord, and restrictions on transgender procedures are already resonating with much of regional and suburban Australia.

Additionally, the center-right Coalition is highlighting its focus on domestic security and has announced plans to implement its own Trump-like “government efficiency” role.

Furthermore, the LNP state government in Queensland recently announced a halt to the issuance of puberty-blocking drugs to young Australians.

Australia Day is a contentious issue, with critics often citing the country’s colonial past as a reason to change the date or abolish the event altogether.

Green Party leader Adam Bandt has previously suggested that it should be “a day of mourning.”

“On this day, we recommit to truth-telling and justice for First Nations peoples, many of whom are suffering today,” he wrote on X.

In contrast, One Nation’s Warren Pickering believes that Australians are growing weary of “wokeness'” being taught in schools and promoted by small and large businesses.

“‘Go woke, go broke,’ and look at the impact it has had on corporate entities that have embraced this concept like Woolworths,” he told The Epoch Times, referring to the supermarket giant’s attempt to stop selling Australia Day products last year.

“I served 10 years in the Australian Defence Force, and I was appalled when they stopped putting Anzac biscuits on the shelves.

“The same year they refused to provide Australian flags. They claim to have changed their stance now, but I have yet to see any photos of Australian flags or merchandise available.”

Pickering emphasized that everyone simply wants to be Australian.

“No one cares about your sexuality, gender, or race anymore. If you think it’s an issue, that’s a problem you need to resolve within yourself.

“We want the government to stay out of our business, out of our faces, let the kids be kids, and stay out of our lives.”

The Left Struggling to Connect

RedBridge Group’s Director Kos Samaras has consistently warned that center-left parties are at risk of alienating their traditional voter base—the working class.

“In 2023, progressive forces in Australia fell victim to a common affliction: the Icarus syndrome, flying too close to the sun with overconfidence, only to experience a sharp and humbling fall,” said the former Labor Party advisor on X.

“If you want positive social change on important issues like this one, never overlook the material needs of the masses. Either stand in solidarity with working people or face the consequences.”

Samaras believes that the Victorian state government has not adequately addressed its two major crises in recent years—prolonged COVID lockdowns and an inflationary shock that prevented the most affected from recovering.

“The Victorian Labor government failed to shift its focus to support these vulnerable groups, who bore the brunt of both the lockdowns and the 12 consecutive interest rate hikes that followed,” Samaras wrote on X.

“Labor’s only hope lies in a radical realignment of its priorities towards its traditional (middle-class) base, which is steadily dwindling.”

In response, the Coalition under Peter Dutton is working to take advantage of this decline, aiming to win several outer suburban seats in Australia’s major cities that are feeling the effects of issues like the cost of living and crime.