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Hitting the (Far) Right Note

Kristina Keneally has broken the emergency glass to steal the John W Howard Memorial Dog Whistle. Peter Dutton is in the corner saying, 'Kristina! Fancy seeing you here...'

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.