Dutton’s Dangerous Con: The Coalition’s Empty Grab for Power

Vague Promises Today, Vested Interests Tomorrow – Australia Deserves Better

By Sue Barrett

The Case for Voter Protection

We have consumer protection laws for a reason – because without them, dodgy salesmen would fleece us blind with promises of miracles and no fine print. So why the bloody hell don’t we have voter protection laws to shield us from the same rubbish peddled by doggie politicians and their parties? Where’s the mainstream media in all this – aren’t they meant to call out the incompetence, corruption and lies, instead of leaving it to citizens like you and me? Oh, that’s right, they’re in with the vested interests mob – another area where we desperately need reform: media ownership. Buyer beware? More like voter beware. Peter Dutton and his Coalition cronies are treating Australian voters like absolute mugs, and it’s as pathetic as it is perilous. With the federal election due by 17 May 2025, their strategy is so cynically brazen it’d make a second-hand car dealer blush. Their pitch? “Trust us, mate, we’ll fill you in on the details after you’ve handed us your vote.” It’s a con dressed up as a campaign – a vague hand-wave instead of a proper plan – and it’s a slap in the face to every Australian who deserves to know what they’re signing up for.

A House of Lies

Picture this: you’re buying a house, and the seller says, “Don’t worry about the cracks in the walls, the missing floorboards, the lack of insulation, or the fact it doesn’t even meet basic housing standards – you don’t need an engineering inspection report, it’ll be fine. Just hand over the cash, pay me top dollar, and we’ll sort it later.” Or the used car salesman trying to sell you a ‘roadworthy’ car with no wheels or engine. You’d tell them to shove it, probably with a few choice words. Yet here we are, with Dutton and his band of policy-dodging LNP mates expecting us to hand them the keys to the country on a wink and a nod. It’s not just laughable – it’s dangerous. Take their flagship nuclear power fantasy, flogged by Dutton and parroted by the likes of Ted O’Brien and David Littleproud. No credible costings, no realistic timeline, just a chorus of experts calling it rubbish while they shrug and say, “Details to come – trust us!” Trust them? After a decade of energy policy chaos under their watch? Pull the other one.

LNP’s Three Years of Nothing

The Coalition’s whole approach stinks of arrogance and desperation. They’ve had three years – three bloody years – to come up with detailed policies and costings, yet these remain a vague concept we can’t assess or make informed decisions on. This is a test of their competency, and they’re failing miserably – we need people with actual experience, abilities, and knowledge to manage the biggest decisions in our country, yet we hear nothing that resembles competence in any area of government from the LNP. Instead, they sling disinformation and lies at everyone else – Labor, Community Independents, Greens – attacking like rabid dogs but offering nothing of their own. And now, in a move that screams desperation, they’re floating this dodgy referendum on deporting dual citizens – OMG, seriously? It’s a divisive, half-baked distraction, chucked out there with no detail, just another cheap scare tactic to dodge the hard yards of actual policy. All show, no substance. Nothing. Nada. They’re vacant, a hollow shell exposing their naked ambition for power. Peel back the curtain, and what’s really behind them? Vested interests lined up to get more access to public money, just like we’re seeing in the US with the billionaire takeover of their government. We’re not buying this rubbish, and neither should you.

A Platform Built on Sand

What have they delivered in all that time? Sweet bugger-all. Nuclear aside, it’s a tax break for business lunches here, a tough-on-crime soundbite there, and a migration cap that’s more slogan than substance. Their platform’s so flimsy you could use it as tracing paper. Dutton’s excuse? They’ll “flesh it out closer to polling day” – or, worse, after they’ve won. That’s not a strategy; it’s a cop-out. It’s like a kid promising to tidy their room after you buy them the PlayStation. If they can’t be arsed to show their working now – when it actually matters – why should we trust them with the country?

The Danger of a Blank Cheque

This isn’t just laziness; it’s a calculated punt that voters are too tired, too distracted, or too jaded to demand better. And that’s where the real danger kicks in. A government elected on vague platitudes can claim a mandate for anything. No details? No accountability. Fancy slashing Medicare or schools? “Oh, we hinted at cuts.” Want to sneak in a tax hike? “Well, we never ruled it out.” Dutton’s already dodged questions on spending cuts, mumbling to ABC’s Insiders about some vague “ERC process” he’d sort in government. Translation: “Vote us in, and we’ll spring the nasty surprises later.” It’s a blank cheque in invisible ink, and we’re the ones who’ll be stung.

Truth? What Truth?

And don’t even get me started on the lies and propaganda they and their fossil fuel, billionaire backed campaign mates, Advance Australia, and the astroturfing Australians for Prosperity are free to peddle. Truth in political advertising is so desperately needed in this country – it’s a gaping hole in our democracy. Other nations, like Germany, have safety nets in place: laws that force parties to back up their claims with facts, not just hot air and scare tactics. Here? Dutton and his crew can spruik nuclear fairytales or Angus Taylor can waffle about tax cuts with no numbers, and there’s bugger-all to stop them. Sussan Ley can dodge health funding questions like it’s a sport, and David Littleproud can bang on about regional jobs while their track record gathers dust. Without truth laws, they’re laughing at us – banking on mistruths and half-baked slogans to slink through.

A Farce of Ambition

Compare this to any functioning democracy – or any functioning relationship, for that matter. You don’t hire a builder who goes, “I’ll sketch the plans once you’ve paid me.” So why should we cop this from a party itching to run Australia? The Coalition’s refusal to level with us isn’t just disrespectful – it’s a glaring warning they’ve got either nothing worth saying or something they’re too scared to admit. It’s a farce.

Control, Not Leadership

Let’s not kid ourselves: this isn’t about “keeping their powder dry” for a grand reveal. It’s about control. Dutton’s banking on chaos, division, and a small-target strategy to limp over the line. He’s nicked Trump’s playbook – stir the pot, scapegoat the vulnerable, and hope the noise drowns out the need for substance. Menzies led with a vision of liberty, unity, and economic opportunity with a safety net, inspiring a nation to back him for 17 years; Dutton’s Liberals peddle fear and vagueness, a far cry from that legacy of principled governance. X posts nail it: he’s “pandering to lobbyists… offering no solutions,” and leaning on “mistruths” to slide by. Even his own mob’s twitchy – The Guardian reckons LNP MPs are fretting over the lack of a real economic pitch. If your own team’s got the jitters, what hope’s left for the rest of us?

The Stakes Are Too High

“Trust me, I’ll give you the details after we’re voted in” has to be the most brazen, cynical stunt Dutton and the LNP have pulled yet. The stakes are sky-high – inflation’s biting, living standards are crumbling, and the world’s a shambles. Yet there are good things happening too which is why we need decent, competent and courageous politicians and leaders who are actually working for us, pushing forward for a better future for us all. We need a government with a plan, not a shrug. Dutton’s Coalition isn’t just failing to deliver; they’re betting we’re too thick to notice. It’s a masterclass in cowardice tarted up as cunning. If they pull it off, the real nightmare starts: a government with power but no promises, free to do whatever it bloody well likes – likely funnelling public cash to their mates while the rest of us cop the mess. Australia deserves better than this sham.

Call it out for what it is and tell them to show their hand – or sod off.

Onward We Press

This article was originally published on Sue Barrett

 

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