Hitting the (Far) Right Note
Fiona Katauskas
Dog whistling — the use of coded words or phrases in political speech to appeal to certain groups — is often practised at the expense of social cohesion. Unfortunately, politicians of all stripes deploy it. Labor Senator Kristina Keneally — herself a migrant — was accused of using such language in an opinion piece on Australia’s post-COVID-19 migration. Keneally’s views reminded Katauskas of Liberal Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton’s 2018 comments on refugees.
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