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Australian state weighs into U.S. Presidential election

Xinhua, October 14, 2016 Adjust font size:

An Australian state has made a symbolic gesture calling out misogyny and bigotry in the United States' presidential election after labelling Republican nominee Donald Trump "a revolting slug".

Whoever is President of the United States has great baring on the future direction of the close strategic and economic relationship, however Australian politicians have been in "open season" attacking Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump over divisive rhetoric not welcome in the modern world.

The New South Wales (NSW) state government on Thursday weighed further into the U.S. election furore to unanimously pass a motion agreeing prospective presidential candidate Donald Trump is "a revolting slug" and unfit for office.

"It's great that all sides of Australian politics, from conservatives to liberals to Greens, agree that Donald Trump is a revolting slug' and completely unfit for public office," NSW legislative council member for the Greens party Jeremy Buckingham said in a statement.

"It's clear that all reasonable and decent people find Donald Trump's behavior obnoxious and that the world is hoping American voters reject his politics of hate."

Buckingham brought the motion before the NSW legislative council, the upper house of the state's parliament, to showcase the divisive, destructive impact that hate speech from political candidates and elected officials have on the community.

Following on the isolationist and protectionist rhetoric that filtered into Australia's election post resulting from the U.K. referendum to leave the European Union, Trump's misogynistic and hateful comments risk spilling onto Australian shores.

As the old Chinese idiom says: when one leaf has fallen, you know the autumn is coming.

It's incredibly rare in parliamentary politics a motion using such language to describe a foreign politician would be carried, even more so in a generally restrained and pragmatic Australia.

Indeed lawmakers had to check the language was not outside the bounds of legal standing, before passing the motion unanimously in the NSW parliament's upper house.

Asked if he agreed with the motion, NSW Premier Mike Baird declined to comment.

Australia's economic powerhouse risks alienating a President Trump should he be elected.

Under normal circumstances, U.S. Studies Center at the University of Sydney chief executive and election expert Simon Jackman said "all would be forgiven" in due course with great friends and allies understanding "unfortunate things get said in times of heated passion."

"Trump on the other hand, he's different," Jackman told Xinhua on Friday.

"He may be the sort to hold a grudge."

Trump is one of the more "outrageous characters we've seen in the democratic world for a long time", Jackman said, knowing that his words reverberate around the world causing angst.

But, Trump does not know how to do it any other way as discipline of message has not been a part of his way to do business, relying on a larger than life persona for his success.

"I think he's discovering all too late that politics is perhaps a different kettle of fish, and that what maybe served him well in the real estate world perhaps isn't playing as well in general election presidential politics," Jackman said.

Thus he is highly unlikely to be elected President of the United States following the publication of his 1995 tax return showing a one billion U.S. dollar loss that can be carried forward.

The release of an 11-year-old recording bragging about kissing and groping women at the weekend was "the absolute hammer blow."

"(Trump's) trailing 7.5 points in the national polls, and I don't think he's got time to make it up, and it's not quite clear what he could do to make it up," Jackman said. Endit