Major two parties are casualties of Trump’s Iran war amid cost-of-living battle

Donald Trump’s “war of choice” in the Middle East and the soaring petrol prices that have followed are driving deep voter anxiety and grumpiness, and fresh scrutiny of Australia’s long-standing alliance with the United States.

Following a fresh round of polling this week confirming the bleak electoral mood, the Prime Minister has responded with immediate relief for motorists by slashing the fuel excise in half but has also taken a less than subtle swing at the US President’s actions.

“The longer this war goes on, the worse the impact will be. And I and the Government understand that people are really worried, but we have a plan to get through this,” Anthony Albanese declared after another meeting of National Cabinet on Monday.

Asked for his view on the way Donald Trump is prosecuting the war, Albanese declared he wanted “more certainty” from the President, while calling for a de-escalation of hostilities and questioning whether regime change in Iran could be achieved externally.

“(It) tends to happen from the bottom up within a country, rather than being imposed from outside, because military action against a nation will tend to promote nationalism within that nation,” the PM warned.

The latest Newspoll gives a glimpse of how unpopular President Trump’s Operation Epic Fury is in Australia, with half of respondents to the survey saying they “strongly disapprove” of the military action, and a further 22 percent “somewhat disapproving”.

On the question of whether Australia should join allied nations in supporting the US to keep the Strait of Hormuz open for international shipping, 63 percent said they were opposed to deploying a warship, while only 30 percent were in favour.

While the latest Newspoll and Resolve polls have recorded falls in support for Labor and the Prime Minister, the political beneficiaries of the cost-of-living crisis continue to be One Nation, not the Coalition.

As Parliament prepares for an almost six-week break beginning this Easter weekend, Pauline Hanson’s anti-establishment movement continues to ride a wave of popularity and is still polling well ahead of the Coalition under new opposition leader Angus Taylor.

Paradoxically Senator Hanson has also been the most vocal supporter of Donald Trump’s actions in the Middle East despite how unpopular the US war on Iran is among many of Australian voters now flocking to her party.

Former soldier-turned-Liberal-leadership-aspirant Andrew Hastie has been the first in his party to publicly take on President Trump for the war, and to highlight how One Nation continues to back the controversial military action.

“This is Donald Trump’s choice,” the Afghanistan veteran said on Sydney radio station 2GB last week, while adding: “I should remind you that One Nation has been pretty strong in supporting Donald Trump’s war – that’s not a point that’s made very often”.

Mr Hastie’s vocal criticism is particularly pertinent given the West Australian’s life-long support for the US alliance, his decorated military career as well as the leading role he has played in public debate on the strategic threats posed by China.

The dire electoral situation facing his party is not lost on the Shadow Minister for Industry and Sovereign Capability, but Labor hardheads are also remaining wary of One Nation’s persistent popularity.

Soaring household costs, stubborn inflation and general economic pessimism is complicating the Treasurer’s preparations for the May budget, which will take place just after the May 9 Farrer by-election, another test of One Nation’s renewed popularity.

Labor is still heavily favoured to win November’s state election in Victoria, despite growing scandals and voter discontent after more than a decade in office, but again attention is turning to how Pauline Hanson’s party will fare.

As one Labor insider predicts: “Anthony Albanese is getting in his trips to Melbourne early because the closer it comes to Victorian election time the less Labor will want to see him there, and he probably feels the same about being near Premier Jacinta Allan”.