The LNP and the Murdoch media have a history of leveraging race-related issues and fear-based narratives, particularly around refugees and Indigenous matters, during federal election campaigns. This pattern has been observed across multiple election cycles, often aligning with broader political strategies to galvanise voter support by appealing to cultural anxieties or conservative sentiments.
Historical Context of LNP Tactics
The LNP has at times used racially charged or fear-driven rhetoric as part of its electoral strategy, particularly on issues such as immigration, asylum seekers, and Indigenous policies. This approach often emphasises “border security” or cultural cohesion to appeal to specific voter demographics.
• 2001 Election (“Children Overboard” Affair): One of the most prominent examples occurred under the Howard government. The Coalition claimed that asylum seekers on a boat had thrown their children overboard to force rescue by Australian authorities, framing them as manipulative and unfit for entry. This narrative was later debunked, but it fueled a fear-based campaign around border protection, contributing to the LNP’s re-election. The “Tampa affair,” where the government refused to allow a Norwegian ship carrying rescued asylum seekers to land, further amplified anti-refugee sentiment. Howard’s statement, “We will decide who comes to this country and the circumstances in which they come,” became a defining slogan.
• 2013 Election (Operation Sovereign Borders): The LNP, led by Tony Abbott, campaigned heavily on “stopping the boats,” a policy formalised as Operation Sovereign Borders after their victory. This military-led initiative aimed to deter asylum seeker boats, emphasising border security and the reintroduction of Temporary Protection Visas (TPVs). The campaign portrayed asylum seekers as threats to national sovereignty, resonating with voters concerned about immigration.
• 2019 Election: The LNP, under Scott Morrison, continued to emphasise strong border policies, highlighting the closure of detention centres and reduced costs as successes of their asylum seeker policies. While less overtly racial, the rhetoric often linked border control to national security, maintaining a fear-based narrative.
• 2022 Election: The Coalition’s campaign reiterated “Strong Border Protection,” focusing on turning back boats and TPVs. While the refugee issue was less dominant due to global pandemic concerns, the LNP maintained a hardline stance, with rhetoric that demonised asylum seekers.
• 2025 Election: The LNP is again emphasising refugee arrivals and opposing cultural practices such as Welcome to Country ceremonies. Dutton’s alignment with culture war tactics, namely rejecting First Nations flags or critiquing Indigenous protocols, mirrors strategies seen in state elections, like the 2025 Western Australian campaign where Liberal candidates stirred controversy over transgender and Indigenous issues.
Murdoch Media’s Role
Murdoch’s News Corp, controlling roughly 60-70% of Australia’s print media circulation (e.g., The Australian, Daily Telegraph, Herald Sun, The Courier-Mail), has consistently been accused of amplifying LNP narratives, particularly during elections. Its coverage often frames issues such as refugees and Indigenous recognition in ways that stoke fear or division, aligning with conservative agendas.
• 2001 Election: Murdoch papers supported Howard’s hardline stance on asylum seekers, amplifying the “Children Overboard” narrative and Tampa affair. This coverage helped legitimise the government’s border policies, framing them as necessary for national security.
• 2010 and 2013 Elections: After the 2010 election, Murdoch reportedly expressed disdain for Julia Gillard’s Labor government and instructed editors to push for regime change. News Corp outlets campaigned against Labor, focusing on asylum seekers and climate policies. In 2013, The Daily Telegraph’s front page, “KICK THIS MOB OUT,” set a hostile tone against Rudd’s Labor government, with coverage favouring Abbott’s Coalition.
• 2019 Election: Murdoch’s papers ran a “unrelentingly partisan” against Labor’s Bill Shorten, with editorials uniformly backing the LNP. Coverage often attacked Labor’s policies while praising Morrison, with stories like the one questioning Shorten’s late mother’s career sparking outrage for their personal tone. Critics, including Kevin Rudd, argued News Corp shaped the broader media agenda, amplifying fear-based narratives.
• 2025 Election: In the past week articles stoking fears about “illegal arrivals” and critiquing Welcome to Country ceremonies as divisive have become more prominent. Sky News has been called out for mocking Indigenous protocols and giving platforms to far-right voices, aligning with LNP talking points. Peta Credlin, a Murdoch commentator has advocated for policies like banning multiculturalism and deporting “radical activists,” signaling a racially charged narrative.
Patterns and Motivations
• Race and Refugees: The LNP’s focus on refugees often peaks before elections, portraying asylum seekers as threats to security or economic stability. This aligns with global conservative strategies, as seen in Murdoch’s Fox News backing Republican narratives in the U.S. The “race card” is evident in framing non-white migrants as undesirable, with terms like “illegal arrivals” or “boat people” used to dehumanise.
• Indigenous Issues: Opposition to Indigenous recognition, such as the 2023 Voice to Parliament or current pushback against Welcome to Country, reflects a broader “culture war” strategy. The LNP and Murdoch media amplify these issues to appeal to voters skeptical of progressive policies, often framing Indigenous protocols as divisive or overly “woke.”
Conclusion
With monotonous regulatory, the LNP use race-related issues and fear campaigns, particularly around refugees and Indigenous matters before federal elections. Notable examples include the 2001 “Children Overboard” affair, the 2013 “stop the boats” campaign, and current 2025 rhetoric opposing Welcome to Country and stoking refugee fears. Murdoch’s News Corp amplifies these narratives, acting as a powerful ally to the LNP by setting divisive agendas.
Also by Michael Taylor: Last lap, little traction: the election campaign’s final frenzy
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Dutton has made two broad campaign strategy mistakes.
The first and most obvious was to piggy-back off Trump, not realising that for most voters, Trump is a joke.
The second mistake, intentional or not, was to end up with a campaign that looked more like a One Nation creation than a Coalition creation.
He is simply not very intelligent, and there is no-one in the party smart enough to point out these basic errors.
Or are they just waiting for him to fall, to allow others to rise?
Has the Liberal Party degenerated to the point where a career in politics is more important than attaining office?
When we consider that liberalism has no credible philosophy behind it, that’s a distinct possibility.
Steve Davis
These comments are ironic as they were made by Dutton about Turnbull but equally could be made about Dutton himself :
He “doesn’t have a political bone in his body”.
He had “a plan to become prime minister but no plan to be prime minister”.
What goes around comes around !
Not one of Dutton’s efforts in office has been successful; he has been lazy, ignorant, unfocussed, outburst prone. Dutton is hopelessly undereducated for any professional work beyond bumkicking, childish social outlook, basic inability. He joined the police because he cannot do anything. It is self promoting while being self covering. a DUD.
Comment must be made on the observations this morning (ABC RN) by Ken Wyatt former Minister for Indigenous Australians in the Morrison government.
Ken, a very wise man in my view, was asked about Welcome to Country, something that Dutton has unwisely bought into.
Wyatt aske Sally Sara the ABC journo why she had welcomed him to the program and of course that led to a discussion on how we welcome people to our homes and to our country as a matter of courtesy demonstrating that ‘you are welcome’. It is not designed to welcome an Australian to Australia !
The issue being that this has nothing to do with government or politics. It is an individual decision to have a welcome to country by individual organisations. It is not compulsory or obligatory, it merely extends a welcome to a visitor.
So, it is not a big deal and is nothing to do with politicians and Dutton, as Wyatt recommended, should stay out of it.
Wyatt put a different perspective on this issue which was refreshing but, as with all things it should not be overdone as it can become monotonous and repetitious. But if you want to welcome somebody to your home you can do so, you don’t need permission from Peter Dutton or the government (and you don’t need to dress up or use face paint and feathers – just neat casual will suffice).
Yet MORE proof – like we actually need more proof – that the LNP comprises a pack of malicious, elitist political psychopaths who THRIVE on division and fear. There is nothing – absolutely NOTHING good one can find to say about the unspeakably depraved, self-serving, hateful sociopaths who take up EVERY seat in the divisive, fascist ranks of the LNP!
Going back to the reign of that pompous, overbearing elitist snob and Australian Tory war monger – the arrogant, cigar-chomping Robert Menzies – the LNP remains an autocratic, unethical regime that literally THRIVES on undemocratic fascism, right-wing extremism, racism, Islamophobia, condescending elitism, hate, inherent misogyny, fear and war!
Brain-washed, Murdoch-manipulated right-wing racist and/or misogynistic fools who keep on supporting and voting for the smug elitists in the LNP need to ask themselves this vital question:
“Name one thing – ONE. SINGLE. THING. – the LNP has EVER done, in its entire self-serving elitist history – that provided ANY benefit, whatsoever, to working- and middle-class Australians?
One. Single. Thing?”
The answer, of course, is ZERO, ZILCH, NOTHING! The ONLY thing the multi-millionaire elitists, rusted-on misogynists and insufferable snobs in the LNP have EVER done is to continue to enrich and empower THEMSELVES and their avaricious, totally corrupt sycophants in the Top 1% at the expense of ordinary Australians!
Everything – absolutely EVERYTHING – that provides any type of benefit or advantage to working- and middle-class Australians has been provided through the dedication, commitment, hard work and collaboration between our Unions and the Labor Party! Examples:
40 hour working week, long service leave, four weeks’ annual leave (one of the most general annual leave entitlements in the world), accumulative sick leave, maternity leave (and other generous leave entitlements), OH&S regulations in the workplace in order to protect and safeguard the lives of vulnerable workers – and the list goes on and on!
The ghastly fact that the ONLY person the LNP can vomit up to (mis)lead and (mis)manage their appalling regime is that hateful, racist, undemocratic fascist, Peter Dutton, speaks VOLUMES about the type of depraved political psychopaths the LNP keep pushing to front of their inegalitarian, dangerously undemocratic, autocratic and very un-Australian regime. The LNP’s previous FAILED leaders, ie that horrendous, rusted-on misogynist, Tony Abbott and that hateful, racist, totally corrupt and self-serving sociopath, the internationally-discredited pathological liar, Scott Morrison, a signed-up MEMBER of the notorious paedophile-protecting CULT of Hillsong – just PROVES that the unspeakably depraved, pathological liars in the LNP haven’t got ONE SINGLE PERSON within their ranks who has a drop of compassion or empathy for ANYONE but themselves and their favoured sycophants in the avaricious Top 1%!
History has shown that the LNP comprise a bunch of political psychopaths who have zero moral fibre, no foresight and absolutely no insight! The LNP are – and have ALWAYS BEEN – a ruthless, power-obsessed, undemocratic pack of corrupt, self-serving, elitist political psychopaths who have never – and WILL NEVER – achieve one single thing that provides any benefit to the lives of ANYONE outside their favoured supporters in the Top 1% and, of course, their diabolical Publicity Manager, Rupert Murdoch! Australians should NEVER FORGET that Murdoch had so little regard for Australia, he contemptuously tossed his Australian citizenship in the garbage in order to become a 100% American citizen for no other reason than to corrupt the American media in the same way his internationally-condemned, Z-rated rags corrupted the media in Australia!
It is NO SURPRISE that the notoriously biased, disreputable, right-wing racist and misogynistic Murdoch media openly favours that diabolical sociopath, Donald Trump – who is not only a ruthless misogynistic predator, an unconscionable liar and an autocratic, born-to-rule fascist but, also, a CONVICTED CRIMINAL – Trump, Murdoch and their sycophantic admirer, Peter Dutton – have SO MUCH IN COMMON !!
Terry, thank you, that’s evidence for something that for me, was little more than a feeling.
Those quotes make me think that perhaps the libs have made another basic error.
Because Abbott won office by just saying “NO”, perhaps they think that all that’s needed is slogans.
“The LNP has at times used racially charged or fear-driven rhetoric as part of its electoral strategy…” At times??? FFS it’s the very core of LNP ideology.
Nazis raised a rukus about the Welcome to Country at an ANZAC day celebration – and the gathered crowd apparently drowned out the boos with cheers.
Dutton and his right wing media team then spun off outrage into racial dog-whistling about the WTC and all the associated negative Indigenous stereotypes. No mention that it was Nazis agenda to start with – Nazis heckling at a ceremony commemorating soldiers who gave their lives fighting Nazis and Nazism.
Racism and racist outrage is obviously more important than objecting to, and siding with the rise of Nazis and their control over the political discussion in Australia.
There have been widespread reports on social media about “blueshirt” intimidation tactics at pre-polling sites: younger, clean-shaven blokes who’ve been bused in supposedly as volunteers to hand out HTV cards. They’ve been aggressive towards non-NLP volunteers and there are claims of vandalisation of signs and interference with voters. Some, at least, are being paid.
The consensus is that they’re Exclusive Brethren members hoping to push their white supremacist christofascism in to Australia.
Just got a bullshit flier from Bridget Archer that strangely doesn’t mention the fact that, “Every litre 25c cheaper” crap is only (if at all knowing the LNP) for 12 months. And on the back, “Labor+Greens Government Don’t Risk It”
If I was Labor, even though it’s too late now, would have replied with:
“Every litre 25c cheaper, but only for 12 months.”
and
“Liberals+One Nation+Trumpet of Patriots Government
Don’t Risk It”
I just finished talking to a friend in Canberra and while we were discussing The Donald (both reckon his dementia is increasing) and when I mentioned Der Spud he said that his two kids are scared whenever they see baldy boy the boogeyman on the television. They really can’t stand the sight of him. I’m not surprised, the only thing missing from Duddy’s visage are the long pins and bloodshot eyes to complete the horror.
Who is Michael Sukkar?
Hopefully a nasty blot (like baldy boy, although I have a feeling that he going to get back in with an increase in the 1.7%) on the landscape receding into the distance after the election.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/numbers-man-what-liberal-powerbroker-michael-sukkar-really-believes-20250422-p5lti0.html
Backflip Baldy Boy’s rubber spine is going to get a real work out today as the final hours wear away. I also see him and the rest of the Dimwit Patrol getting nastier and nastier before the day finishes.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/may/01/peter-dutton-says-he-has-no-proposals-to-change-school-curriculum-despite-earlier-claims-about-indoctrination
The Liberal Party still from time to time extol their champion, Robert Menzies. There is no doubting that Menzies was an elitist royalist and an admire of Hitler and his fascist Nazi regime, inter alia saying in 1938:
“[The] abandonment by the Germans of individual liberty and of the easy and pleasant things of life has something rather magnificent about it … they have erected the state, with Hitler as its head, into a sort of religion which produces spiritual exaltation that one cannot but admire.”
After WWII, and the Holocaust, Naziism and fascism were completely repudiated, ‘Pig Iron’ Menzies cunningly donned a disguise to cajole desperate and frightened voters. Yet the stench of racism and fascism remained in many hearts of the Liberal Party, who fondly and divisively accused the Labor Party, and Unions of communism. There is much detailed evidence of the Liberal Party ongoing stench, this simple narrative gives a sufficient broad sweep of Oz forgotten fascists.
Today it is no small irony that since the eras of Abbott and Morrison, Liberal moderates have been driven out or left the party in droves, and that the hard right remnants have either gone underground or coalesced under Dutton. And misrepresenting their economic credentials, increasingly recruit from new multicultural sectarian blocs. With the burgeoning culture wars, spread mainly by America, and especially now almost hysterically by T-Rump, Dutton has become emboldened, so much so that the party has done a reciprocal first preference deal with the horrendous One Nation.
The T-Rump heightened culture wars drive Dutton’s underlying prejudices, and has him seeking to embed culture wars as a substantial m.o. in his ignorant bid for a peak sinecure within the Oz parliament. And in this he is aided and abetted by the Murdoch media, the Atlas / Advance (fossil-fueler & christo-fascist) networks, and some corporates, all who put greed and supremacy above social responsibility. They obviously see Dutton as a suitable puppet for their ‘advancement’.
The media has contrived, since the rise of ‘Teals’, that there is a Labor/LNP ‘duopoly’ that deserves smashing. Anywhere in the world, two-party opponents arise because of their stark differences, not because of sameness. It’s the likes of the Atlas / Advance (fossil-fueler & christo-fascist) networks that drive this narrative to drive their agenda (eg Project2025), as realized in the election of T-Rump. In Oz it has gained traction, where in fact there is no similarity between the LNP and Labor. Albeit, Labor has to fight for votes, mainly because of the complexity of current global precarity, especially in the significant and complex agenda to realize climate change abatement and industrial transformation whilst maintaining economic viability and social coherence.
One can only hope his party is thrashed at the ballot box, and even better that Dutton loses his seat of Dickson.