By Luke Voogt
Geelong MP Christine Couzens says US President-elect Donald Trump would have to clean up his act before she would welcome him to the city.
Devastated at the election result, Ms Couzens said Trump’s racist and sexist attitudes would make it very difficult for her to welcome him to Geelong or, indeed, Australia.
“We saw during the election campaign his distaste for women and his sexism and racism. I would hate to see that reflected anywhere in Australia.”
Trump’s election gave the American people the feeling it “was right to be racist or sexist”, Ms Couzens said.
“To be honest, I was pretty devastated. I would hate to see anything like that happen in Australia.”
Ms Couzens said she would watch Trump’s presidential term with interest to see if it matched his campaign rhetoric.
“If there was a change in his attitude and he did govern for all Americans, as he said in his acceptance speech, I would welcome him to Geelong.”
“We can only hope those attitudes are put away or put aside during his term of office.”
However, Ms Couzens did not believe Mr Trump was “putting on” his rhetoric just for the campaign.
“You can see it in a lot of his comments going back as a younger man,” she said.
Ms Couzens said Mr Trump represented a trend of populist celebrity politicians.
She cited billionaire turned Federal MP Clive Palmer, who gained infamy for falling asleep in parliament, as an Australian example.
“If we look at what has happened in the past they don’t come up with goods,” she said.
“He wasn’t able to deliver and his demise was quite rapid.”
She said former Geelong mayor Darryn Lyons “could be an interpretation” of this trend locally.
South Barwon MP Andrew Katos said the “US people had spoken” and any US President would be welcome in Geelong.
Mr Katos said Mr Trump had offered “the olive branch to all Americans” in his acceptance speech, despite his controversial campaign rhetoric.
“Even he’s said himself that some of the comments he made in the past were wrong.”
Lara MP John Eren, who is due to return to work today (Friday) after a near-fatal cardiac arrest, congratulated Mr Trump on his election.
He said he would welcome the President-elect out of respect for his office but that he would not condone some of his more controversial remarks.
“I certainly hope he rethinks some of his rhetoric.”
The cardiac arrest left Mr Eren clinically dead for three minutes on Father’s Day (4 September).
Funnily enough, he said, he was “feeling healthier than ever” after a stent was implanted in his artery shortly after he was resuscitated.
“Here I was thinking I needed a coffee to pep me up when actually one of my arteries was blocked,” he said.
