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The Conversation
The Conversation
Politics
Jon Piccini, Lecturer in History, Australian Catholic University

Still under the bed? Red-baiting's long history in Australian politics – and why it's unlikely to succeed now

Wes Mountain/The Conversation, CC BY-ND

The Reds are back. Scott Morrison’s Liberal-National government has recently launched an offensive of “red-baiting”, a practice long thought consigned to the history books, in preparation for an anticipated May 2022 election.

Last November, Defence Minister Peter Dutton hounded Shadow Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong, charging her with “not standing up for [Australian] values” in comments on the China-Taiwan dispute.

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