Domestic Opinion Vs International Obligations: How Governing Centre-Left Parties in Australia Responded to Trump’s Re-Election

Abstract

Presenter: Daniel Casey (Australian Catholic University) Discussant: Johannes Karremans (Université Catholique de Lille) Chair: Daniel Thiele How do political parties navigate the competing demands of responsiveness to their domestic constituencies and responsibility in international relations? Our seminar addresses this dilemma through analysis of Australian MPs' responses to the election of Trump in 2024 and his administration (2025–). Drawing on a new dataset of 1,700 parliamentary e-newsletters collected by CanberraInbox between March 2024 and August 2025, we reveal that while around a third of Australian MPs with e-newsletters have mentioned President Trump, not a single MP from the governing centre-left Australian Labor Party has. Their silence is conspicuous. Drawing on Peter Mair's responsive-vs-responsible dynamic, this seminar suggests that the governing MPs’ silence reflects a strategic tension: while Labor voters express deep hostility toward Trump, Labor in government must also preserve the US alliance, and avoid provoking a volatile president. Unlike minor parties who are free to be purely responsive to their constituents, governing centre-left parties in Australia may manage the responsiveness–responsibility dilemma by rhetorical avoidance: choosing not to speak. The case highlights how global figures can reshape domestic party competition, and how centre-left incumbents in allied states may seek to balance domestic opinion with international obligations through strategic silence.