Coalition MP vows to ‘make Australia great again’, says she didn’t mean to echo Trump

Coalition frontbencher Jacinta Nampijinpa Price vowed to “make Australia great again” in a rousing speech to supporters and then less than an hour later said she didn’t realise she had echoed the US president’s rallying cry and accused the media of being “Trump obsessed”.

Senator Price was introducing Opposition Leader Peter Dutton at a bowling club in Perth when she declared her party would “ensure that we can make Australia great again, that we can bring Australia back to it’s former glory, that we can get Australia back on track”.

But at a media conference a short time later, when asked if her comment was an ode to Donald Trump, she rebuffed the question, stating “if I said that, I don’t even realise I said that”.

“But no, I’m an Australian and I want to ensure that we get Australia back on track,” she said.

Senator Price was appointed as the shadow minister for government efficiency in January in what appeared to be a nod to the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency in the United States. 

Asked about the similarities on Saturday, she said it wasn’t a separate department and “it is not an ode to Donald Trump”.

“The media, you’re all obsessed with Donald Trump. We’re not obsessed with Donald Trump. We’re actually obsessed with ensuring that we can improve the circumstances for Australians,” she said.

Asked about Senator Price’s comments, the opposition leader redirected towards the cost of living crisis at home. 

Referencing West Australians who can’t afford to pay for their electricity and insurance, Mr Dutton said “let’s just deal with the reality for people”.

“I really think that if we want to make their lives better and we want to get our country back on track, we have to change the government,” he said.

“And I think that’s the point that any objective person would make at the moment.”

Indigenous Affairs audit first priority

Senator Price, who is also the shadow minister for Indigenous Australians, reiterated that if elected her first priority would be to audit spending in the Indigenous Affairs portfolio, alleging that “nothing is changing to improve the lives of marginalised Indigenous Australians” despite billions of dollars in government spending.

“Now, why wouldn’t we extend that way of delivering for Australians across all portfolios,” she said.

“So that we’re ensuring that we’re redirecting funds and investing to provide outcomes across portfolios for all Australians to benefit all Australians, instead of wasting money pouring it down the drain, which is what Albanese has done for the last three years.”

She added that the position would be able to “cut red and green tape” to ensure projects are able to go ahead and to “ensure we’re not providing funds for ridiculous grants”, while pledging to “reset the [school] curriculum”.

Both major party leaders campaigned in Perth on Saturday, ahead of dualling campaign launches on Sunday. 

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton met with supporters in the marginal seat of Tangney — which the Coalition lost to Labor at the last election — where he manned a sausage sizzle station.

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese rode a ferry with Western Australian Premier Roger Cook to announce federal funding to help expand the transport network. 

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