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Peter Dutton – a man on a mission, or just wrecker?

The Liberal Party of Australia continues to present its worst face to the electorate. One would have assumed that Peter Dutton, one of the most unpopular politicians in Australia’s parliamentary history, could not possibly have been elected to lead an already discredited party.

But to the party which selected Tony Abbott in 2009 to the same position, one bad decision is never enough. After disposing of Abbott, who to his credit did actually win an election, they eventually woke up and replaced him with Malcolm Turnbull.

Of course, Turnbull was far too clever to be left in power, so the party chose Scott Morrison to lead them. He was meant to present a more likeable leader than his opponent, Peter Dutton. So far, there is very little to choose between the two. If you are a Liberal voter, you appear to be stuck between a rock, and a hard place.

Dutton’s public pronouncements do not help his cause

Over the years Peter Dutton has sought to present himself as a no-nonsense ‘straight talker’. It is hard to reconcile his public statements with the pleasant, personable man that some of his supporters attest to.

He described the belongings brought to Australia by refugees as:

“… the world’s biggest collection of Armani jeans and handbags up on Nauru waiting for people to collect it when they depart.”

When commenting on past immigration under Malcolm Fraser, he stated:

“The advice I have is that out of the last 33 people who have been charged with terrorist-related offences in this country, 22 of those people are from second and third generation Lebanese-Muslim background.”

He decided that:

“… the reality is people (in Melbourne) are scared to go out at restaurants of a night time because they’re followed home by these gangs, home invasions, and cars are stolen and we just need to call it for what it is. Of course, it is African gang violence.”

He was much more sympathetic towards white South African farmers, however:

“I do think on the information that I’ve seen, people do need help, and they need help from a civilized country like ours.”

Heaven help them if they should become pregnant, though:

“Some people are trying it on. Let’s be serious about this. There are people who have claimed that they’ve been raped and came to Australia to seek an abortion because they couldn’t get an abortion on Nauru. They arrived in Australia and then decided they were not going to have an abortion. They have the baby here and the moment they step off the plane their lawyers lodge papers in the federal court which injuncts us from sending them back.”

This statement was a factor in Shane Bazzi’s tweeting that Dutton was a “rape apologist”. Dutton then sued, and won, only for the original verdict to be overturned on appeal.

Adding to his sense of frustration with migrants, or refugees, or both classes of people not from South Africa, he elaborated on the theme of “anchor babies”, an anti-immigration term popularised in Trump’s America.

This was in relation to two specific children, and their parents of course; Sri Lankan couple Priya and Nadesalingam and their Australian-born daughters Kopika, and Tharunicaa:

“It’s been very clear to them at every turn that they were not going to stay in Australia, and they still had children. We see that overseas in other countries, anchor babies…the emotion of trying to leverage a migration outcome based on the children,” he told Macquarie Radio.

Dutton has been accused of being racist

We can only really list his mis-statements and allow readers to draw their own conclusions.

Dutton walked out on the apology to the Stolen Generation, and proffered the following apology for his boycott:

“I didn’t appreciate the symbolism of it, and the importance to Indigenous people.”

He was caught making a joke about the rising sense of doom amongst Pacific Island nations, as they face possible extinction of their homelands, due to climate change:

“Time doesn’t mean anything when you’re about to have water lapping at your door.”

Is Dutton just another naysayer?

His grandstanding about the Voice to Parliament is grating, because it seems to be playing a non-existent tune. The Voice has been explained, ad nauseum, as an advisory body, only.

It will not be a third chamber to the Parliament; it will not legislate. It will advise the mostly non-indigenous parliamentarians about purported effects of legislation affecting indigenous Australians. It will not advise on national security, nor will it advise on defence matters.

And yet, ignoring his seeming irrelevance in modern Australian political life, Dutton continues to be treated as if his concerns are real. As the Prime Minister bends further backward to appease Dutton, the rest of us are forced to watch, and listen, as he inches towards understanding.

The remaining two Liberal premiers have now joined the Federal Government, and the other state premiers, in supporting the Voice to Parliament.

Dutton is isolated on policies, and on attitude

So now Dutton is marooned with the likes of the crew at Sky News, and David Littleproud’s strange fringe party. He then made the effort to attend George Pell’s funeral, and he was outraged by the decision to leave King Charles off the $5 note.

These are the current issues which marginalise him even more from mainstream Australia, or at least those voters who are under seventy years of age, and not conspiracy theorists.

Add it to his climate skepticism, and the Liberal Party of Australia is doomed to spend a very long time out on the fringes. It begs the question of how long he can be allowed to make the party not only irrelevant, but one which seems to delight in choosing unpopular causes to champion.

He seems to be channelling Tony Abbott, and we know where that leads.

 

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7 comments

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  1. Phil Lohrey

    This moderate statement of concern avoids the hyperbole of unkindness for which Dutton is known, and presently showing First Nations people. That is, unkindness towards many not of his own narrow calling. He will be noted historically for dangerously denying a voice for dis-empowered people from many sectors.

  2. Phil Pryor

    Peter Duckwit-Futton, lower than a termite’s tool, is so negative that he defies principles in Physics. But, an ex-Queensland copper of no merit, no qualifications to comment on wide and deep professional matters, no class or culture or soul, is a potential P M. If he gets up one day, follow his path of luck and get a wife from Darlinghurst road, a car from old John L Motors, a horse to run in the cup, rescued from the knackers, and a printed set of principles from Rupert Merde Dog. (hah). Deliriously deluded devious dongdangling Dutton…

  3. Clakka

    Sometimes Grandma’s book of sacred recipes aren’t always complete.

    It’s been an ongoing education to come to realise:

    Spud always comes with tripe.

  4. totaram

    He is on a mission, and I do wish him well. Long may he remain the leader of the Liberal(TM) party as it sinks slowly into irrelevance! We are told that we need a good opposition, but I am sure there are many other worthies who will fill that role. Dutton’s role is to remain the Captain of the ship, resolute in his determination to be the last to sink. After all that is what Captains do, isn’t it? Perhaps not what we expect of Dutton, but this is his chance to show us what he is made of. All Hail!!

  5. Mortimer Snerd

    Advising a politician to to stop playing politics is like advising a footballer to stop playing footy.

  6. Kerri

    Is he on a mission?
    You need to ask?
    Of course he is on a mission! A similar mission to Abbott (but probably much worse) being to take Australia back to the good old days when migrants knew their place and criminal lowlifes were locked up for good and the working poor knew how good they had it while anyone not of the beliefs of a middle class white, anglo copper was disregarded if not suppressed.
    But I really like this!
    As the population that would agree with him slowly diminishes so too does his popularity.
    The Libs have gone beyond the bottom of the bucket. At least Abbott had his faith as a crutch for his beliefs.
    When you are a hammer everything looks like a nail.
    Sorry! I meant to say when you are a soft fluffy bunny everything looks like …….. well….. just refer to the rabbit in The Holy Grail.

  7. New England Cocky

    I want to protest that AIMN is giving far too much exposure to Boofhead Spuddo. The ideal way to render a politician irrelevant is to ignore each & every uttering that flushes out of their sewer office. Boofhead and the COALition are being shown up for the corrupt scumbags that they are. What Australian voters want to know is ”What will Parliament do to make these gutter crawlers accountable for their anti-egalitarian actions whilst in misgovernment”?

    Let us consider a few suitable options:
    .
    1) A motion in Parliament banning the miscreants from the Parliament grounds for the term of this Parliament;
    .
    2) A life ban on employment in any public office receiving Commonwealth funding;
    .
    3) Cancelling all post-politics allowances, including ”retirement allowances”;
    .
    4) Exclusion from the political ”advisors” list;
    .
    5) A short life-time ”holiday” in the Nauru or Manus refugees jails without any communications technology of any kind;
    .
    6) Surrender of all real property accumulated whilst an MP to provide or fund after sale social housing.
    .
    Obviously this is a short list thought out quickly and readily expanded by others with a suitable imagination.

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