‘Reckless’: Dutton says Albo loose with truth on US security
Defence Minister Peter Dutton has hit back at claims by Anthony Albanese that the PM ‘broke the faith and trust’ with the United States as Prime Minister Scott Morrison sought to woo votes among Sikhs and Hindus.
Federal Election
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Defence Minister Peter Dutton has hit back at claims by Anthony Albanese that the PM ‘broke the faith and trust’ with the United States when he failed to brief Labor on the AUKUS security pact.
It follow reports the United States had requested more than four months before the deal was announced that the government brief the Opposition, knowing it was a long-term deal.
Meanwhile, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman has responded to accusations of an ‘aggressive act’ by its intelligence gathering warship off the coast of WA saying ‘China always abides by international law and international practice’.
Its presence was labelled ‘concerning’ by Prime Minister Scott Morrison and an ‘aggressive act’ by Defence Minister Peter Dutton.
Mr Morrison is kicking off his Saturday campaigning in Melbourne while Mr Albanese is in Darwin.
In other election news:
- Mr Morrison has doubled down on his pledge to change his ways saying Australia needed his ‘strength’ during the Covid pandemic but now the nation can move to ‘optimism’ and he looks forward to being more consultative
- Mr Albanese has taken a knock in the latest Newspoll with his personal satisfaction ratings dropping along with popular support for Labor. But Labor is still on track for a comfortable victory next Saturday, leading the two-party preferred 54 to 46.
- Coalition sources say Mr Morrison’s surprise pitch that he would change his ‘bulldozer’ ways if re-elected is ‘welcome’ and should have happened months ago but is still a ‘gamble’.
- Mr Morrison attacked Labor over the rise of China, saying Australia needed a leader who was “clear eyed” about national threats
- Climate 200 independent candidate Zoe Daniel has accused John Howard of the “inappropriate” use of “gendered language” – in a politically correct whack at Australia’s second longest-serving prime minister
- The Liberal Party will ask for an investigation into an alleged electoral law breach by Labor’s star candidate for Parramatta after Anthony Albanese bizarrely claimed he was not aware of the issue.
Follow our live coverage below.
DUTTON SLAMS ALBO OVER US DEFENCE DEAL CLAIMS
Defence Minister Peter Dutton has hit back at claims by Anthony Albanese that the PM ‘broke the faith and trust’ with the United States when he failed to brief Labor on the AUKUS security pact.
Mr Dutton accused Mr Albanese of being ‘reckless’ and loose with the truth on a matter of national security by relying on a newspaper report for his information.
“If Mr Albanese had a problem with the way in which the briefings were conducted and the way in which the information was provided to him, he's had ample opportunity … to make it an issue, to raise it publicly,’’ Mr Dutton said.
“But there is a media report today he's responding to in the midst of an election campaign and frankly I think Anthony Albanese is being loose with the truth when it comes to national security.
“I think his comments today are quite reckless.
“If the United States had conditioned the AUKUS agreement on there being a briefing for the Australian Labor Party, then clearly the deal would haven't gone ahead.
“So the United States didn't condition that, and I think Mr Albanese frankly owes the Australian public an apology because he's mislead the public today.
“He's basing his comments on those which have been made in an article in The Sydney Morning Herald today. He hasn't made any issue of this particular matter from the time he was first briefed up until this very day. So, he's using the midst of an election campaign to try to play politics with this issue and, frankly, I think it's quite reckless.”
Speaking in Darwin on Saturday, Mr Albanese addressed reports that the United States had requested more than four months before the deal was announced that the government brief the Opposition.
“The United States government was saying to the Australian government very clearly and repeatedly that they wanted the Opposition, Labor, to be briefed,” he said.
“And then they wanted to have the confidence that this would be a bipartisan issue in terms of support.”
Mr Albanese said the Biden administration understood the deal would “have implications beyond who was in government at any particular time”.
He said he was eventually briefed by officials just one day before the announcement, after Mr Morrison asked him to fly to Canberra.
“It is extraordinary that the Prime Minister broke that faith and trust with our most important ally by not briefing Australian Labor on these issues,” he said.
“The fact that the United States had made a request to Australia that was ignored for four and a half months shows that this is a Prime Minister who always plays short-term politics and is not interested in the national interest.
“This Prime Minister is always, always interested in the wedge, always interested in the division and that is why when he says that “I’ll change,” he can’t be trusted.”
Mr Albanese also took aim at Defence Minister Peter Dutton’s rhetoric on China saying it is ‘very different from his own government’s rhetoric’.
“It is very different from Marise Payne who is in charge of foreign policy. She is the Foreign Minister. Her rhetoric is very different from Peter Dutton,” he said.
“What we see going on here – we’ve seen it for some period of time … there is tension within the Liberal Party. It is being played out day after day.”
PM DOUBLES DOWN ON SCOMO 2.0
The Prime Minister has again pledged to be more consultative if re-elected, doubling down on his comments that he could change from being “a bit of a bulldozer”.
Speaking on Saturday, Mr Morrison was asked about his new pitch to voters and said he had needed to be tough during the pandemic.
“We’ve been effectively dealing with a global crisis for the last two years,” he said.
“That was a time for me as Prime Minister in my government to be in the gear of pushing through and that was necessary.
“(There) just hasn’t been the time during that period of crisis to undergo the broad scale, consultation and engagement, which is my preference.
“The next stage is very different … I’m looking forward to changing the gears of our government to secure those opportunities that are ahead of us.
“That means being able to engage more with local communities. We’ve been locked up in Canberra, just as people were locked up here in Victoria and that’s all changed.”
Mr Morrison said Australia was moving to a “optimistic mode”.
“In a time of crisis they needed my strength,” he said
“In a time of opportunity, they need my encouragement, they need my facilitation.”
More on Mr Morrison’s change of heart here
‘THE WORLD IS ONE FAMILY’: CHEERS FOR PM
Laughs and cheers greeted Scott Morrison at a multicultural event in Western Sydney, where he joked about "scomosas" and the "ScoModi" free trade deal, while highlighting the importance of India's relationship with Australia.
The Prime Minister recounted all the multicultural religious gatherings he has been to saying “that’s Australia,” during a speech to the Hindu Council of Australia in Western Sydney on Saturday afternoon.
Mr Morrison attended the event with his wife Jenny, several government ministers and Liberal candidate for Parramatta Maria Kovacic, on what was his sixth visit to the Labor-held seat he is hoping to win on May 21.
He also thanked the Hindu community for supporting each other during the pandemic, adding Parramatta was now the centre of Sydney.
“We all know that,” Mr Morrison said. He also welcomed back students, family and visitors from India, after being cut off.
“Now the doors are open, the borders are open,” he said. “You can be together once more.”
Mr Morrison also revealed his admiration for the Indian work for deep friendship, and paid tribute to the late cricketing legend Shane Warne.
“The world is one family,” he said to loud cheers from the crowd.
Mr Morrison was animated as he discussed Australia's close relationship with India, including his own personal friendship with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
He revealed Mr Modi also called him "ScoMo" and joked the free trade agreement between the two nations should have been called the "ScoModi" deal.
The crowd clapped and cheered, with one member interjecting to voice their support of Mr Morrison's love of cooking curries, prompting another "scomosa" joke from the Prime Minister.
Dancers performed on stage and later members of the community were able to ask Mr Morrison questions.
The moderator also joked that Mr Morrison has been using their curries for his foreign policy.
Mr Morrison also addressed the Hindu Council’s key concerns about their religious symbol being confused as a swastika, saying new laws to ban hate symbols would include appropriate exemptions.
He was also grilled about appropriate aged care services for people of faith. He acknowledged it was a “challenging” area but said his government would seek advice and data from multicultural groups and those on the ground caring for people.
“ I won't pretend to you that it won't be a difficult road as we work tirelessly to fix the many problems and the challenges that we have in aged care,” Mr Morrison said.
“It's important that we can have bespoke tailored care and support for those in the community.
“And it's important that we had people have those language skills so we're aware of these cultural sensitivities and issues that needed addressing implementation of our initiatives.”
PM AGAINST EMISSIONS SANCTIONS
Asked about Australia’s commitment to reduce emissions to net zero by 2050, Mr Morrison said he did not support putting sanctions and controls on countries.
Instead, he would promote the development of affordable technologies needed to transform energy sources in developing countries.
“If we can solve the climate change challenge for India, then we can solve it for the world,” Mr Morrison said.
The council also sought assurances from the Prime Minister about the issue of religious discrimination.
Mr Morrison said he wanted to protect people’s faith because it was “motivated by love”. He said it brings families and communities together, adding it was a “great strength” of Australia.
“It is important that we protect from discrimination against people of faith or whatever that faith is,” Mr Morrison said, adding those who don't have any faith should also be protected from discrimination.
“Government shouldn't tell people what their faith should be; that’s one of the great freedoms in this country. “But they shouldn't also tell faith, how it should be practised in this country.”
Parramatta was held by Labor’s Julie Owens for almost two decades, but her retirement has put it in play for the Liberals.
The visit comes as the Liberal Party will ask for an investigation into an alleged electoral law breach by Labor’s star candidate for Parramatta after Anthony Albanese bizarrely claimed he was not aware of the issue.
PM STIRS UP SOME CAMPAIGN SPICE
Australia’s multicultural society is like a Masala curry with each community adding their own fragrance or spice, Mr Morrison has said.
To prove his point, the Prime Minister joined members of Melbourne's Sikh community in the kitchen after touring a new gurudwara (temple) in the city's southeast.
Mr Morrison was mobbed by people looking to take a selfie with the nation's leader, joined by LaTrobe MP Jason Wood and Immigration Minister Alex Hawke.
He joined volunteers in cooking up traditional Sikh fare, which is often provided free as part of the communities volunteer efforts.
He commented on the massive pan used to stir dishes and said he used a much smaller spoon to cook curries at home.
Speaking at the event, the Prime Minister said Australia was undoubtedly the world's most successful multicultural society.
"Then daylight second and third," he said. Mr Morrison said he often compared the nation to a rope, with each community and ethnic group making up a different strand that was strong together.
But he said Australia also reminded him of something else. "I think Australia is a great Masala," he said.
Mr Morrison said "something magical" happened as spices and herbs were added.
"That's why I love communities like this because you are adding the fragrance, you are adding the aroma (and) you are adding something really special."
The Coalition pledged $500,000 each for two separate gurudwaras in Melbourne, to buy CCTV for safety improvements and other upgrades.
ALBANESE TAKES KNOCK IN LATEST POLLS
Mr Albanese’s approval ratings have dropped in the latest Newspoll with popular support for Labor also falling with one week to go before the election.
The exclusive Newspoll shows the primary vote contest tightening over the past week but Labor still leading comfortably with a two-party preferred lead of 54 to 46.
While the Coalition’s primary vote remains at a low 35 per cent, Labor’s has fallen back a point to 38 per cent, suggesting momentum for Mr Albanese may have stalled in the final weeks of the campaign.
The only party to make gains was Pauline Hanson’s One Nation, which rose a point to 6 per cent – almost double the level of support for the conservative minor party at the 2019 election. Clive Palmer’s United Australia Party fell a point to 3 per cent while the Greens remained on 11 per cent.
In the head-to-head contest, Mr Morrison leads his rival as better prime minister 43 per cent to 42 per cent.
But the most significant movement in the polls shows the Labor leader taking a hit to his satisfaction ratings over the past week with Mr Albanese’s approval dropping three points to 38 per cent.
Those dissatisfied with his performance rose two points to 49 per cent – a five-point turnaround in his approval ratings to minus 11.
Mr Morrison’s approval ratings improved three points, with a one-point rise in those satisfied with his performance as Prime Minister and a two-point fall in those dissatisfied.
He is now level with Mr Albanese on minus 11.
CHINA RESPONDS TO ‘AGGRESSIVE ACT’ BY WARSHIP
A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman has responded to accusations of an ‘aggressive act’ by its warship off the coast of Australia.
The vessel was detected near Exmouth in WA, where a joint Australian and United States naval intelligence station – Naval Communication Station Harold E. Holt – is based.
It was labelled an ‘unusual’ and ‘aggressive act’ by Defence Minister Peter Dutton.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said he had no information about the specific situation, but “China always abides by international law and international practice”.
Mr Morrison stressed the warship had not breached Australia’s territorial borders.
The ship has since begun travelling north up the coast.
“We are monitoring it very closely … We have a number of aircraft surveilling this particular warship,” Mr Dutton said.
“It is a Chinese warship with intelligence gathering capability. It is obviously very strange that it has come this far south and it is hugging the coastline as it goes north, and its intention will be to collect as much electronic intelligence as it can, and, as I say, that is unusual.
“We haven’t seen a ship from that maybe come this far south and is tracking up towards Darwin at the moment.”
Mr Morrison said it was ‘freedom of navigation’ but admitted ‘they’re looking at us and we’re keeping a close eye on them’.
Mr Morrison said the event had highlighted the “serious times in which we are living”.
CHINA THREAT NEEDS ‘CLEAR EYED’ LEADER
Mr Morrison attacked Labor over the rise of China, saying Australia needed a leader who was “clear eyed” about national threats.
He stressed that China had not breached international law by sailing a warship near Western Australia.
“What yesterday highlighted, particularly when you take it in the context of economic coercion, foreign interference, pushing into our region an assertive Chinese government seeking to impose its will across the region, this highlights the challenges we face,” he said.
“This is why I did AUKUS.
“Australians do have an important choice here. They’re very aware of the risks and they know there are no guarantees or certainties in an environment like this.
“That’s why when it comes to those international issues, (we need) a government and a Prime Minister that is very clear eyed about the threats.
“We’ve demonstrated we have the ticker and we have the strength to stand up to those threats.”
Mr Morrison said he was concerned about “the signs” from Labor regarding China.
He again attacked Richard Marles over meeting with Chinese Embassy officials 10 times over the last five years, which the Deputy Opposition Leader has previously said was “no secret”.
“Mr Marles still has many things to explain about the level of his contact with the Chinese government,” he said.
“Things just don’t add up there as to why you would be having that much contact.
“Something’s just not right about that.”
Mr Marles has previously responded to the Coalition’s attacks on this issue by labelling them “desperate and silly”.
‘ALBO’S ‘I DON’T KNOW’ OVER STAR CANDIDATE
Mr Albanese claimed not to know about how his star candidate for the seat of Parramatta, Andrew Charlton, had potentially fallen foul of enrolment laws.
Mr Charlton was parachuted into Parramatta after receiving critical endorsement from Mr Albanese.
The selection of the former Rudd economic adviser and wealthy businessman followed ongoing factional brawling over candidates among local Labor branches in the must-win marginal seat.
The Opposition leader asked for details of revelations about Mr Charlton in The Daily Telegraph when he questioned on it by media on Saturday.
“I’m not aware of the issue you raise so I can’t comment,’’ Mr Albanese initially said.
Mr Charlton blamed an “oversight” for breaching electoral laws after listing a Woollahra rental owned by his wife as his place of residence.
When pressed, Mr Albanese then refused to say what action he would take.
Yet just days ago, the Opposition leader called on the Prime Minister to “take action” on the “serious issue” of LNP candidate for Lilley Vivian Lobo allegedly telling the Australian Electoral Commission he lived at an address that turned out to be a dilapidated unfurnished house.
Mr Albanese only went so far as to say he “expect the rules to always be upheld” when it comes to the AEC referring concerns about someone’s enrolment address to the Australian Federal Police.
It is not uncommon for politicians to live outside the electorates they are vying for, but providing false declarations to the enrolment body is a crime punishable by up to 12 months in prison or a $12,600 fine.
While Mr Charlton moved to the electorate of Parramatta after splashing out on a new, four-bedroom house only last month, he is not enrolled at the North Parramatta property nor at the $16.1 million Bellevue Hill mansion he previously lived in.
Instead, Mr Charlton is enrolled at a four-bedroom terrace at Jersey Rd in Woollahra, which property titles searches reveal is owned by his barrister wife, Phoebe Arcus.
Mr Albanese this week called on the Prime Minister “to do more to respond to the referral of the candidate for Lilley to the AFP”.
“This is a really serious issue and the Prime Minister needs to respond as to what action he will take on the issue,” he said.
CLIMATE 200 CANDIDATE ATTACKS HOWARD’S ‘GENDERED LANGUAGE’
Climate 200 independent candidate Zoe Daniel has accused John Howard of the “inappropriate” use of “gendered language” – in a politically correct whack at Australia’s second longest-serving prime minister.
It came after Mr Howard, who led the country for more than a decade, labelled the so-called teal independents running in the May 21 poll as “anti-liberal groupies”.
Speaking on the Nine Network on Saturday morning, Ms Daniel – who is vying for the blue ribbon Victorian seat of Goldstein – hit back at Mr Howard.
She suggested she wanted to offer an alternative for people who want politics done differently.
“I would say or suggest gently that gendered language like ‘anti-liberal groupies’ is inappropriate in the democratic process,” Ms Daniel said.
Mr Howard made the comments last month, where he argued the motivation of teal independents was to “hurt” the Liberal party – and not to represent the middle ground of the electorate.
“These men and women are all posing as independents. They’re not independents, they’re anti-Liberal groupies,” the former Liberal prime minister said at the time.
Ms Daniel – a former ABC journalist – is running against the Liberal Party’s Tim Wilson, who reclaimed Goldstein at the 2019 election with a 7.8 per cent margin.
YouGov research, commissioned by News Corp, revealed this week that Ms Daniel was leading Mr Wilson 52-48 per cent on a two party-preferred basis – putting her on track to win the seat.
If she was to win the seat, Ms Daniel would become the first MP for the electorate who did not herald from the Liberal Party.
PM’S ‘BULLDOZER’ PITCH A GAMBLE
In a final week pitch to win over undecided voters, Scott Morrison has vowed Australians will see a new side of him to the “bulldozer” he has been during the pandemic.
The Prime Minister claimed Australia had needed “strength and resilience” to get through the past few years, but acknowledged his approach would have to change now the country was “moving into a different time”.
“I admit that hasn’t enabled Australians to see a lot of other gears in the way I work,” Mr Morrison said.
“As we go into this next period, on the other side of this election, I know there are things that are going to have to change in the way I do things.”
Several Liberal sources said Mr Morrison’s shift was “welcome,” with one MP telling News Corp Mr Morrison should have said as much “months ago”.
Another senior Liberal source said the pivot, which some have described as Mr Morrison’s “real Julia” moment when former prime minister Julia Gillard asked voters to give her a chance to be herself, was still a “gamble” for the Coalition.
“It depends if people see it as a sign of humility … or think it’s desperation,” the source said.
The Liberal said voters needed to have “positive reasons” to vote for the government to “overcome the fact that some are disgruntled with Scott in different ways”.
“At the outset of the campaign we laid our plan … and it’s the right thing from him to reinforce again now we know it’s been a tough few years and haven’t been able to get everything right … to tip the undecided voters our way,” the source said.
It is understood the Prime Minister’s campaign team are looking to pivot toward Australia’s post-Covid “opportunities” and the future as the country moves on from the initial emergency phase of the pandemic.
With the AUKUS deal secured and the “tough call” made to dump the French submarine deal in favour of nuclear-powered options, it is also believed Mr Morrison will be able to move beyond his bullish persona on the world stage.
During a campaign stop in Melbourne on Friday, Mr Morrison was asked about his leadership and whether he had been telling Australians what they should do rather than listening to them.
He said Australians had seen him work in different ways in recent years, including because of the pandemic and national security concerns.
“I can be a bit of a bulldozer when it comes to issues,” he said.
“Over the last few years, it has been pretty important to ensure we’ve been able to get through some of the most important things that we’ve had to do.”
Mr Morrison pointed to negotiating security agreements as an example of this work.
“You’ve got to be pretty determined to be able to land those sorts of things,” he said.
But Mr Morrison said Australia was now moving into a “different time” as the nation learned to live with the Covid pandemic.
“We’re moving into a time of opportunity and working from the strong platform of strength that we’ve built … in our economy.”
Anthony Albanese seized on Mr Morrison’s characterisation of his own leadership, using it to highlight how he would be more constructive than the Prime Minister.
“A bulldozer knocks things over,” he said.
“I’m a builder. That’s what I am, and if I’m elected Prime Minister I’ll build things in this country – better infrastructure, … a response to climate change … (and) people’s living standards.”
The Labor leader argued Australians could not trust Mr Morrison would suddenly “change” if re-elected”.
“He will just get more arrogant, more out of touch, less trustworthy,” Mr Albanese said.
LABOR’S $1B PLAN TO BEEF UP MEDICARE
Patients will be given better access to GPs and doctors offered grants of up to $50,000 to improve their practices under an almost $1 billion plan by Labor to “strengthen” Medicare.
Under the plan, an Albanese government would set up a Medicare taskforce made up of peak medical bodies such the Australian Medical Association (AMA) and the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) to map out the priority programs needed to improve access.
A fund worth $750m over four years would also be established to deliver better access and care to patients with Labor citing “improved patient access” to GPs, including after-hours help, and better management of complex and chronic conditions.
Read the full story here.
SCOMO CAN’T KICK A FOOTY BUT LAUNCHES SCHOOL SPORT PROGRAM
Scott Morrison has kicked off his final campaign week in Melbourne on Saturday by announcing a $20 million commitment to expand the popular Sporting Schools program to include Years 9 and 10.
Thousands of Australian teenagers will get more chances to play sport, stay healthy or even start on a path to the 2032 Olympics under a Coalition pledge to get more high school students active.
The Prime Minister visited Norwood Football Club in the electorate of Deakin to announce the expanded scheme.
He said getting more young people involved in sport helped keep kids active, built confidence and provided a “way for families to connect back to community sporting clubs” post-pandemic.
“It also creates opportunities and connections to support those students who want to make their sporting dreams a reality and look to become the next Sam Kerr, Ellyse Perry or Lance Franklin,” Mr Morrison said.
The Coalition will also invest $79.6m to extend the Sporting Schools program, which will now cover Years 7 through to 10, for an additional two calendar years to the end of 2024.
It is hoped the expansion of the program, which was first established by the Coalition in 2015, would address the significant decline in sport participation, physical activity and social connectivity in secondary students, particularly among girls.
More than 2.2 million students across 8,000 schools benefit from the current program.
Talking to junior footy players, Mr Morrison was taught how to properly kick a Sherrin but didn’t nail the execution.
But he got a loud cheer after pulling off a rugby punt straight after.
The Prime Minister asked the players who they thought would win the AFL Premiership and no one could agree.
It was a much clearer response when he asked about favourite players, with Dustin Martin the clear favourite.
Mr Morrison said he didn’t know much about AFL but he knew he liked Martin, having seen him play before.
“He’s such a great competitor,” he said.
If re-elected the Coalition would also provide $4.8m to support surf lifesaving clubs across Australia to purchase lifesaving equipment.
All 314 clubs would be able to access an additional $5,000 each year to purchase equipment including IRBs, defibrillators and rescue boards.
ALBO MEETS NEW NT CHIEF MINISTER
Mr Albanese has used his time in Darwin to meet with the Northern Territory’s new Chief Minister Natasha Fyles, who was sworn in just yesterday after a surprisingly bloodless leadership transition.
The pair, over coffee at Roma Bar in the CBD, discussed Territory specific policy, including funding for Kakadu National Park.
Mr Albanese is set to make a $970m policy announcement to strengthen Medicare today.
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Originally published as ‘Reckless’: Dutton says Albo loose with truth on US security
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