Leadership aspirant Peter Dutton’s ‘get to know me tour’ fails first populist policy test

PETER Dutton kicked off his Get To Know Me Tour yesterday spruiking a range of populist “clear and succinct” policy ideas to win over his colleagues — including dropping the GST from power bills.

PETER Dutton kicked off his Get To Know Me Tour yesterday spruiking a range of populist “clear and succinct” policy ideas to win over his colleagues — including dropping the GST from power bills.

His bid to present a leadership alternative was met with scepticism, quickly slapped down by state leaders and some senior Coalition MPs, including Treasurer Scott Morrison, who dismissed it as a “budget blower”.

“I think one of the things that we could do straight away in this next billing cycle is take the GST off electricity bills … it would be an automatic reduction of 10 per cent for electricity bills and people would feel an impact straight away,” Mr Dutton said.

“I think that is important for pensioners, for self-funded retirees, for people that are finding it difficult to pay the bills each month.”

Peter Dutton and Alex Hawke in the House of Representatives on Wednesday. Picture: Kym Smith

Finance Minister Mathias Cormann and Treasurer Scott Morrison showed their robust support for Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull on Wednesday. Picture: AFP

Mr Dutton used breakfast radio to also outline a proposal for royal commissions into energy companies and fuel prices as well as restating his commitment to reducing ­migration until infrastructure catches up.

On the GST idea, Mr Morrison said, based on Parliamentary Budget Office modelling, the proposal would cost about $7.5 billion over four years.

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Mr Morrison went hard against Mr Dutton’s policy idea saying it would cost the government $7.5 billion over four years. Picture: AAP

Former minister for Home Affairs Peter Dutton leaves after a division in the House of Representatives on Wednesday. Picture: AAP

But NSW MP Craig Kelly — who voted for Mr Dutton in the spill — gave the idea lukewarm support.

“I don’t think you could do it in the long term, maybe you could do it as a one-off hit in the quarter,” he said.

Former prime minister Tony Abbott dismissed Mr Morrison’s claims and said it was just another example of spin “trotted out to damage the opponent of the moment”.

“One of the things that often happens is that when backbench members of Parliament … make suggestions, the Treasurer comes out with all of the resources of the Treasury and tries to blow them to pieces,” Mr Abbott said.

Labor Treasury spokesman Chris Bowen called it a “crazy thought-bubble” proposal.

In his pitch, Mr Dutton also flagged a royal commission into energy companies and on another hot-button issue — fuel prices.

“I just think Australian consumers for way too long have been paying way too much for fuel and for electricity,” Mr Dutton said.

“Something just isn’t right with these companies and like we’ve done with these banks, I think a royal commission has the ability to get to the bottom of what is fundamentally wrong in the system and what could help ease some of that pressure on families and potentially small businesses.”

Originally published as Leadership aspirant Peter Dutton’s ‘get to know me tour’ fails first populist policy test