Australian conservatives are revelling in Trump's election win

Great Australia great again?
 By 
Johnny Lieu
 on 
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Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Australia has long been perceived as America's deputy sheriff -- ever so eager to follow in the footsteps of their bigger and more powerful brother.

With the election of Donald Trump as U.S. president Wednesday, some Australians were vindicated in their nationalistic views. And so they celebrated. Weirdly.

While shock was written all over the front pages of the country's newspapers Thursday morning, it was a vastly different story when it came to the nation's far-right politicians and even some of its university bros.


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"Grab them by the pussy! That's how we do it!"

The beer flowed heavily at a University of Sydney watch party on Wednesday, as Trump supporters complete with red "Make America Great Again" hats, chanted "lock her up," "build a wall," "drain the swamp," and "grab her by the pussy," according to journalist Simone Fox Koob.

Eventually those who were chanting offensive slogans were kicked out from the event. "Participants have been removed. University does not endorse and will not tolerate such behaviour," a spokesperson for the University of Sydney wrote on Twitter.

Some of the ejected participants were still chanting "No more leftist bullshit! PC is over! Stop crying about it!,'" as they left, accoridng to Koob.

Far-right politicians got weird

A small band of the nation's conservative politicians revelled in the win.

Conservative Cory Bernardi was more terse in his congratulations.

Populist far-right party One Nation was much more enthusiastic. Don't tread on him.

Yesterday, members of the One Nation party popped a bottle of champagne in front of Parliament House in Canberra as Trump pulled ahead. Yes, really.

"I'm so happy about it. Because this is putting out a clear message to everyone around the world that the people power is now happening," the party's leader Pauline Hanson said.

Rethinking the Australia and U.S. alliance

Other politicians wondered just how tight Australia could, or should, remain with the U.S. government Trump's leadership.

Independent Senator Nick Xenophon questioned whether if the alliance needed a rethink.

Tony Burke, representing centre-left party Labor, was much more forthright when it came to the influence of a Trump-led America on Australian values.

"We've got to make sure that as a country we don't change who we are. We shouldn't be so desperate in terms of trying to win favour from the new president or president-elect that we undermine our values," Burke told Sky News.

"We shouldn't be a country that forgets that in this country if you boasted about sexually assaulting women, it would mark the end of your political career."

Australia's Foreign Minister Julie Bishop admitted that the outsider President-elect has been ambiguous when it comes to his thoughts on international affairs.

Even for Australia's politicians, it's a matter of wait and see.

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Johnny Lieu

Mashable Australia's Web Culture Reporter.Reach out to me on Twitter at @Johnny_Lieu or via email at jlieu [at] mashable.com

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