Following his comments about fast-tracking refugee status for white South African farmers, the Australian public is beginning to suspect Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton is making a genuine transition to satire.

Given the insane nature of many of his previous statements, regular voters had been suspecting the change for a while now. Many assumed he had been a consummate satirical performer all along. ‘I’ve been voting for a while now, and I the only reason I keep returning to the LNP is because Dutton is the smartest, most subtle comedian since Chris Lilley,’ says voting enthusiast Mike Robson with pearls of maniacal laughter.

Dutton has been commended for jumping at the chance to ‘fast-track’ his own satirical career, by releasing comments suggesting Australia should aggressively adopt a policy of prioritizing white South African farmers in immigration considerations.

‘The rapid release of these comments, and their content, definitely signal a move toward full-time satire, possibly following the footsteps of ex-President George W. Bush,’ says professional career analyst. ‘It was a masterful move – you’ve got an aggressive policy declaration based on shaky evidence, a racial group that he won’t be attacked for satirizing, and an opportunity to backtrack on everything he’s been saying as Minister. Huge!’

The comments struck that elusive balance between provocative and ludicrous, and left the public baffled and unsure of what was real. These are all hallmarks of a great piece of satire.

George Bernstein, satirical cartoonist, warns that these are dangerous times for traditional satirists. “They’re going to put us out of a job! Those damn politicians invading our industry and taking our jobs by doing the very things we make a living off them doing!”

Unfortunately, when The Obiter’s Rohingya-diversity intern attempted to reach the Minister for comment, the automated response instructed her not to queue-jump. She is still on hold.