Peter Dutton says LNP president Dave Hutchinson’s position ‘untenable’
The LNP’s most senior minister, Peter Dutton, has demanded the LNP president’s immediate resignation, accusing him of actively undermining the Queensland leader.
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THE LNP’s most senior minister, Peter Dutton, says it is “unprecedented” for the LNP president to be actively undermining the state leader, demanding Dave Hutchinson’s immediate resignation.
While Mr Hutchinson has now resigned from Clive Palmer’s employment, Mr Dutton said the president’s involvement in leaking polling against Deb Frecklington made his position untenable regardless.
But he admitted there was little he could do if Mr Hutchinson refused to stand aside.
Mr Dutton spoke to Mr Hutchinson, a long time friend of his, last night and again this morning seeking his resignation before going public.
It’s understood Mr Hutchinson intends to remain in the job, telling people as recently as this afternoon he is not leaving.
Mr Dutton revealed he and others had been working quietly behind the scenes to get Mr Hutchinson to stand down of his own accord.
“There’s no precedent for this and you can’t be the president of the LNP, and the employee of the principal of another political party at the same time,” Mr Dutton told The Courier-Mail.
“My hope was that Mr Hutchinson would make a decision himself to stand down and in doing so, allow us to get back on track to win the election.
“Instead he’s taken a decision to stay in a job when it’s untenable for him to stay in that job given his actions and given the circumstances.
“It’s not in our interest for this issue to continue on he needs to deal with this issue as quickly as possible.”
He said he was not seeking anyone else to stand down over the leaked polling.
Mr Dutton said branch members were angry that the LNP president had taken the steps against the state leader.
“People can’t understand why that has taken place. And they’re equally bemused by Mr Hutchinson’s employment with Clive Palmer,” he said.
The Home Affairs Minister said he believed “momentum would build” for Ms Frecklington and the LNP before the next election.
“Deb Frecklington has stood up to the bully boys in the backroom of the LNP and she should be given credit for that.
“She should be given credit for that. She’s demonstrated she has the strength of character to lead Queensland to be a strong Premier and to act in the state’s best interest.
“We will win the next election, we have to win the next election for the sake of getting Queensland back on track.
Mr Dutton is the highest-profile LNP figure to publicly call for Mr Hutchinson’s job following a destabilisation campaign.
“The short answer is that yes he should, I’m sorry to say,” Mr Dutton said when asked on 4BC radio earlier today whether Mr Hutchinson should go or stay.
“Dave Hutchinson, who I’ve known for a long time, he’s an incredibly decent person, he’s given a lot to the LNP, but the branch members are outraged that the president of the LNP would be involved in a campaign to destabilise the state leader and he must resign,” he said.
“I think he will reflect on his position and do the right thing.
“But this is a serious thing and Deb Frecklington, I think, has shown real guts and determination in staring down this move.”
Mr Dutton said it was “unacceptable” to have polling commissioned by the party for the purposes of releasing it to destabilise the state leader.
“In that circumstance his position is untenable,” he said.
Mr Dutton said his position was already untenable because of his work with Mr Palmer – the principal of another political party.
His position remained untenable despite Mr Hutchinson’s announcement that he has quit his employ with Mr Palmer, Mr Dutton said.
“He needs to resign now from the position of party president and he needs to do it sooner than later so we can get back to the core business that Deb Frecklington wants to get back to,” he said.
Mr Dutton said anybody within the LNP not involved in making sure Ms Frecklington wins the election should leave the party.
“We’re there to get a better government for Queensland,” he said.
“I think Deb Frecklington has shown guts and determination and a real quality in the last week and I think people want that in a premier and I really think now people are looking at Deb in a different way, in a really positive way.
“I think she can get momentum from here and go onto win the election but she’s got to have the support of the team and I’d encourage everybody in that direction.”
Mr Hutchinson has been sought for comment.
Meanwhile Mr Palmer this morning announced Mr Hutchinson’s move, saying he was leaving to concentrate on defeating Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk at the upcoming state election.
The contract began just months after the LNP secured a preference deal with Mr Palmer’s United Australia Party at last year’s federal election.
Mr Palmer heads the United Australia Party.
The situation led to a fallout between the president and LNP Leader Deb Frecklington and surrounding issues have fed into a destabilisation campaign in the past week against Ms Frecklington.
Mr Palmer said Mr Hutchinson had ended his engagement with all Palmer companies as at 10am yesterday.
“While I am disappointed that David is leaving, I understand his strong desire to do all he can to ensure the LNP is elected,” Mr Palmer said.
“On behalf of myself and our management team, we thank David for his professional manner and positive input into a number of our projects.
“We wish him all the best for his future.”
Mr Hutchinson has been blamed by LNP MPs for leaked polling against Ms Frecklington as party members privately question whether she can win the October poll.
But she has declared she is going nowhere and was unanimously backed at a party room meeting on Monday after calling out “backroom boys” trying to bully her.