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Bill Shorten Says Trump 'Entirely Unsuitable' To Be President

Labor leader links The Donald to Malcolm Turnbull in fiery speech.
Getty/Reuters

Labor leader Bill Shorten says Donald Trump is 'entirely unsuitable' to be President of the United States, doubling down on comments for which he was criticised earlier this year.

Shorten will give a keynote speech at the State of the Nation forum hosted by the Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA) in Canberra on Tuesday. The event's theme is "A new policy agenda: innovation, growth and the future economy" but Shorten will use his morning speech to take square aim at Trump.

The Huffington Post Australia has obtained Shorten's speech, where he does not shy away from a blistering critique of the Republican presidential nominee.

"[Trump's campaign] began as a de facto reality TV show, grew into a circus and has now gone beyond farce," Shorten will say.

"Make no mistake, the U.S-Alliance is bigger than any individual and stronger than any disagreement. But I know I am not the only one relieved that with every passing day, with every disgusting, demeaning comment Mr Trump makes, the possibility of him being President fades."

Shorten has lashed Donald Trump
Lucy Nicholson / Reuters
Shorten has lashed Donald Trump

"By his own words and his own actions, he has confirmed the worst fears of millions in the United States and beyond its borders -- he is entirely unsuitable to be leader of the free world."

In the speech, Shorten calls Trump an "extremist" and claimed he was taking "the low road of change – lashing out, scapegoating."

"We need to take the high road -- skilling our people, investing in education, addressing inequality, promoting inclusion," he will say.

In May, Shorten was criticised by the government for his comments about Trump. Speaking to Darwin radio station Hot 100, the Opposition Leader said he thought Trump's views were "just barking mad on some issues".

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, at the time, did not join in Shorten's criticisms.

"You can imagine how Australians would feel if an American president were to describe one of our prime ministerial aspirants as barking mad," Turnbull said in May.

"You can imagine the resentment and ill will that would create."

Malcolm Turnbull did not share Shorten's criticisms in May, but has recently also spoken out about Trump
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Malcolm Turnbull did not share Shorten's criticisms in May, but has recently also spoken out about Trump

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop also claimed it was "concerning that Mr Shorten feels free to hurl insults with the naive excuse that the U.S-Australia relationship is strong enough to overcome his destructive behaviour".

However, since then, the floodgates have opened with Australian politicians unloading on Trump. On Monday, a number of federal politicians directly criticised Trump, with Pauline Hanson and Derryn Hinch coming to blows over Trump's "grab them by the pussy" remarks, and even Turnbull saying the comments were "loathsome" and "deserve the absolutely universal condemnation that they've received."

Shorten's speech also manages to sneak in a dig at Malcolm Turnbull and his signature innovation agenda, saying that the people who have flocked to Trump have been "marginalised" and "alienated" by rapid economic change which can be "confronting" for those in insecure work.

"We must recognise the mantras of 'innovation' and 'disruption' can be a confronting message for Australians in insecure work. We need to understand that when a lot of Australians hear the word 'automation', they think 'redundancy'," Shorten's speech reads.

"That when many Australians hear the call for 'flexibility', they believe our system is good at flexibility for employers, but not so good at flexibility for employees. That many Australians know the calls for a low wage, easy-to-hire, easy-to-fire system will not deliver hundreds of thousands of new jobs."

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