DOMINIC Perrottet has hailed Donald Trump’s victory in the United States Presidential race as a defeat of the left wing establishment.
In a widely read social media post, Mr Perrottet said the rise of Donald Trump was a natural reaction to the political left trying to control political discourse.
“If you stand for free speech, you are not a bigot. If you question man-made climate change, you are not a sceptic,” he said in the post which can be read in full below.
If you support stronger borders, you are not a racist. If you want a plebiscite on same sex marriage, you are not a homophobe. If you love your country, you are not an extremist.
“These are mainstream values that people should be free to articulate without fear of ridicule or persecution by the left.”
Mr Perrottet also urged people to engage in a ‘conservative spring; which brings to mind the so-called Arab Spring of 2011, where several Middle Eastern countries started revolutions against their governments.
Mr Perrottet told the Gazette Donald Trump was a breath of fresh air to many Americans, who were disillusioned by the rockstar status of people entrenched in the political system like Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.
"You don't need to be a Trump supporter to recognise the blindingly obvious - that the rise of reactionary politicians is a wake up call for conventional political parties,” he said.
“One of the reasons Trump was elected was because for too long mainstream voices have been shut out of the political debate by the Left.
“People are tired of being told if you don't share the Left's views on issues like climate change, refugees or gay marriage, you are somehow a sceptic, a racist or a homophobe.”
Mr Perrottet’s comments follow a speech made at the Menzies Research Centre, where he spoke about the need for a change in the way conservative politicians frame their arguments.
“While many in the Republican Party complain about Donald Trump – he is a product of their own creation,” he said.
“They embraced an elite big business agenda, shut out their base and did not respond to the growing disillusionment around them.”
Mr Perrottet said Mr Trump’s rise should be a wake up call to all political parties.
“We [the Liberal Party] are vulnerable to disruption if we do not reflect the concerns of our base and represent its ideas,” he said.
“To win elections, you have to appeal to the middle ground. But you always lock in your base first. Unless you have the base behind you, you can’t even get through the gate to fight for the middle ground.”
