Election 2022: Peter Dutton to be elected Liberal leader ‘unopposed’; Joe Biden ‘walks out‘ on Anthony Albanese
Peter Dutton will be elected “unopposed” as Liberal Party leader, according to a senior Liberal. It comes after Joe Biden played another joke on Anthony Albanese. SEE THE VIDEO.
Federal Election
Don't miss out on the headlines from Federal Election. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Liberal MP Karen Andrews says Peter Dutton “will be elected unopposed as the leader of the Liberal Party”.
“He will be standing unopposed to take on the leadership and that means there’s no-one else putting their hand up,” she told the ABC.
It comes after Joe Biden abruptly ended his first bilateral meeting with Anthony Albanese after the new PM spoke fondly of a visit to the US meeting the National Rifle Association 30 years ago.
The room broke out in laughter as the US president jumped out of his chair and staged the mock walkout at the mention of the NRA, the US’s powerful gun lobby.
“You’re brave, man,” Mr Biden told Mr Albanese of meeting the group.
“I am,” Mr Albanese responded.
The two left-wing leaders were meeting on the side of the Quad Leaders’ Summit in Tokyo when Mr Albanese recalled his five-week visit to America as a guest of the State Department.
“I wanted to see the interaction of groups with the US government,” Mr Albanese began. “So I did everything from the National Rifle Association to the Sierra Club to Planned Parenthood to the full — the full kit and caboodle across the spectrum.”
After returning to his seat following the mock shock, Mr Biden repeated that Mr Albanese was a “brave man”.
“The Sierra Club and the National Rifle …” Mr Biden added, without finishing the thought.
Mr Albanese continued that the trip was an opportunity to see the “full diversity of the way that the country operates”.
Mr Albanese continued that the trip also included security briefings in Hawaii, as well as a trip to Las Vegas.
“I’m not quite sure where that fitted in,” Mr Albanese said of what happened in Vegas. “But it was a — it was a good trip indeed.”
While the public meeting was filled with banter, the White House said their private discussions included the AUKUS pact and efforts to punish Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.
Mr Albanese noted that he would host the next Quad summit in Australia in 2023, but said he hoped to be “visiting the US before then”.
Mr Biden suggested they “work out a time sooner than later”, but quipped about the new PM’s travel schedule.
“But you’re probably going to have to be home at some point,” Mr Biden said.
‘PAY A PRICE’: ALBO’S RUSSIA WARNING
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Russia must “pay the price” for its brutal invasion of Ukraine.
Mr Albanese is in Japan meeting with US President Joe Biden, India’s Nahrendra Modi and Japan’s Fumio Kishida in Tokyo at the Quad summit.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, the prime minister said Russia “must pay a price for its actions” and face unequivocal condemnation.
Australia would also consider more aid for Ukraine, he said.
Mr Albanese said the leaders “welcomed” his government’s climate policies as he conveyed “Australia’s changed position”.
“Today was also an opportunity for myself as the new Australian prime minister to indicate Australia’s changed position on climate that has been welcomed by these three nations in the quad,” he said.
“They’ve welcomed it because it will strengthen what is an important issue in the Indo-Pacific. We know that China is seeking to exert more influence in the Pacific and we know that climate change is such an important issue. I share the view that this is a national security issue. Climate change is not just about the environment, it’s about the shape of our economies, but also our national security going forward.”
He said AUKUS was discussed “by the participants of Aukus” but it was climate change that dominated talks.
“We had quite a good discussion, longer than I thought it would be,” he said.
He confirmed Labor would implement the climate policies the party campaigned on.
“We have our policy, where we will do exactly what I’ve said we would do in terms of our powering Australia plan. It’s all out there. It’s fully costed. It’s ready to go. It will make a big difference.”
There had been no change to Australia’s position towards Taiwan.
“There should be no unilateral change to the status quo. Our position has not changed.”
Only a day after taking office Mr Albanese has been thrust into the international big league at only the second in person meeting of the four power Quad dialogue designed to stand up to China.
In his remarks in front of the other leaders and the assembled media, Mr Albanese said Australia looked forward tackling “climate change and the security of our region.”
“Our co-operation is built on the values that we share, commitment to representative democracy, the rule of law and the right to live in peace,” he said.
In remarks that repeatedly stressed the importance of climate changed which he said was “the main economic and security challenge for the island countries of the Pacific” the PM said the government committed to leading by example.
Opening the meeting Mr Kishida said Russia’s attack on Ukraine had shocked the world and it was vital that nothing like that should occur in the region – a veiled reference to China’s ambitions towards Taiwan.
Describing it as “a grave incident which has fundamentally shaken the rule of law,” Mr Kishida said” we should never ever allow a similar incident to happen in the Indo-Pacific. ”
President Biden went even further in his remarks, telling the group Russia’s invasion was a matter for him the whole world.
“This is more than just a European issue., it’s s a global issue,” he said.
“The fact is that when you turn on the television and see what Russia’s doing now, it appears to me that Putin is trying to extinguish a culture.”
India’s reluctance to criticise Russia’s invasion has frustrated the Biden Administration while Australia and Japan have been more understanding of the subcontinent’s sensitivity on the issue.
DAI LE ELIGIBILITY IN QUESTION
Independent MP Dai Le, who defeated Labor candidate Kristina Keneally in the Sydney seat of Fowler at the weekend, is facing questions over her eligibility.
According to The Australian, Ms Le ticked a box on the Australian Electoral Commission s. 44 declaration stating she had never been a subject or citizen of a country other that Australia.
The former Fairfield deputy mayor was born in Vietnam and at seven years old came to Australia as a refugee with her family in 1975. She arrived in Australia in 1979 after spending time in a refugee camp in The Philippines and Hong Kong.
It appears Ms Le did not provide the AEC with any official documents indicating she had lost or renounced her foreign citizenship, The Australian reported.
GREENS SLAM LABOR’S BOAT TURNBACK POLICY
The Greens have condemned the Albanese government for turning back a boat load of Sri Lankan asylum-seekers.
The Australian Border Force was ordered by Acting Prime Minister Richard Marles to continue with the asylum-seeker “take-back procedure”, initiated by former home affairs minister Karen Andrews, after the vessel was intercepted on Saturday.
The Australian reported the asylum-seekers were understood to have been taken aboard an ABF vessel and sent by plane back to Sri Lanka.
Mr Marles said the asylum-seekers were screened and found not to be owed protection by Australia.
Talking to Sky News, he warned people-smugglers there would be no change to Australia’s strong border stance under the Albanese government.
The Greens labelled the move “unnecessary, ineffective, inhumane and contrary to international law”.
BIDEN JOKES WITH ALBANESE
Joe Biden cracked a joke as he started his address, joking it’s OK if Mr Albanese fell asleep.
“Prime Minister Albanese, I welcome you to your first Quad meeting. Like, I said, you got sworn in, got on a plane and if you fall asleep while you’re here, it’s OK,” he said.
“Because I don’t know how you’re doing it! It’s really quite extraordinary just getting off the campaign trail as well. Congratulations on your election. As I you when you won and I called you, we greatly appreciate your commitment on being here so soon after taking office.”
PM SPEAKS TO QUAD SUMMIT
When he spoke at the opening of the summit, Mr Albanese said: “As we gather today, I acknowledge all that the Quad has achieved. Standing together for a free, open, and resilient Indo-Pacific region, and working together to tackle the biggest challenges of our time, including climate change and the security of our region,” he said in his opening statement.
“My government is committed to working with your countries and we are committed to the Quad. The new Australian government’s priorities align with the Quad agenda – taking action on climate change, and building and stronger and more resilient Indo-Pacific region, through better economic security, better cybersecurity, better energy security and better environmental and health security.
Mr Albanese said his government will do more on climate change.
“We will act in recognition that climate change is the main economic and security challenge for the island countries of the Pacific.
“Under my government, Australia will set a new target to reduce emissions by 43% by 2030, putting us on track for net-zero by 2050. We have had a change of government in Australia, but Australia’s commitment to the Quad has not changed and will not change.”
He said that Australia’s commitment to ASEAN and its centrality has not changed.
“My government has already committed to a greater focus on South-East Asia, including the appointment of a Special Envoy for the region and $470 million in additional foreign aid over the next four years.
“This is in addition to our increasing assistance to the Pacific by over $5 billion, deepening our defence and maritime co-operation and using the power of proximity to strengthen our partnerships.
“We will bring more energy and resources to securing our region as we enter a new and more complex phase in the Pacific’s strategic environment. And we will continue to stand with you, our like-minded friends, and collectively, we will continue to stand up for each other.”
In concluding Mr Albanese said: “We will stand firm on our values and our beliefs, on what we know will enhance the prosperity and stability of our region and what is firmly in the interests of all those who call the Indo-Pacific home.
“I’m honoured to be among such close friends of Australia, to take these next steps with you to pursue positive and practical ways to support a free, open and resilient Indo-Pacific.
“I look forward to strengthening our Quad partnership starting with a productive meeting today.”
CHINA CONGRATULATES ALBO
It comes after he received a message of congratulations from China on becoming Prime Minister, breaking a nearly three-year freeze on Australia-China ties.
In his message, China’s Premier Li Keqiang said the healthy and stable development of China-Australia relations was in line with the fundamental interests and common aspirations of the two peoples, and was also conducive to peace, stability, development, and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region, according to state-owned Xinhua news agency.
He highlighted the Labor Party for “making the right choice” in 1972 by breaking ties with Taipei to recognise the People’s Republic of China.
“In the 1970s, the Australian Labor Party government made the right choice … making a historic contribution to the development of China-Australia relations.”
Earlier, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said China was willing “to work with the new Australian Labor government to review the past, face the future, and uphold mutual respect, mutual benefit and win-win results”.
DUTTON TO LEAD LIBS: ANDREWS
Queensland Liberal MP Karen Andrews has ruled herself out of deputy leadership contention just a day after indicating a tilt.
Speaking on ABC Radio Brisbane, Ms Andrews indicated the Liberals needed broader representation across the nation — rather than two people from Queensland.
She indicated Dickson MP Peter Dutton would be elected unopposed and that former environment minister Sussan Ley, was the front runner for the deputy role.
“It’s a geographical dilemma that I face at the moment, which is that Peter Dutton is the only contender for the leadership. So he will be elected unopposed,” Ms Andrews said.
“And the Liberal Party is a national party … It is untenable for the leader and the deputy leader to come from the one state.
“So at this, at this time, it is not my time to stand for deputy leader, which makes me sad, but that’s the reality.”
Ms Andrews, a former Home Affairs and Industry and Science Minister, is factually unaligned within the Liberal party room.
The LNP came out of the election far less scathed than its Liberal counterparts in Victoria, New South Wales and Western Australia-meaning Queensland now make up 40 per cent of the Coalition party room.
“There’s a very strong base here in Queensland … that base is very supportive of Peter Dutton,” Ms Andrews said.
“And that will shore up his prospects for leadership, which are rock solid.
“I mean, no one should think that there is going to be anyone but Peter Dutton leading the party.”
BARNABY’S FUTURE IN DOUBT
Barnaby Joyce’s future as Nationals leader is in doubt as party room members seek to distance themselves from him after the Coalition’s loss on the weekend.
While the Nationals kept all 16 of their seats – in contrast to the loss of 19 Liberals seats – they did suffer a swing against them.
It is party-room policy that after every election both the leadership and deputy-leadership positions are spilt, but Mr Joyce is losing the confidence of his colleagues.
The Liberal party suffered a blow in blue-ribbon inner-city seats in part because of its association with the Nationals and their limited-scope climate policy.
Gippsland MP Darren Chester said he was giving a tilt for the leadership “some thought” and said the priority of the next Nationals leader – whether that remained Mr Joyce or someone else – needed to be someone who appealed to all Coalition voters.
“I certainly had people come up to me during the campaign and say they weren't going to vote for me because they didn’t like my leader,” Mr Chester told ABC Radio.
“And that was a very blunt assessment they made. They were very respectful about it; they were simply saying, ‘You know, we think you’re a good local member, we just can’t vote for you because we don’t like your leader.’”
It’s understood former deputy leader Michael McCormack will also make a tilt at the leadership, and would seek to get the Nationals back to a position which would make a coalition appealing to inner-city voters.
Mr Joyce had on Monday left the door open for renegotiating on the Nationals’ net-zero plan, but sought to firm up his party’s intent on Tuesday morning.
“My intent is to stick to the deal that I negotiated; that’s how it works,” Mr Joyce told ABC News.
Mr Joyce also sought to distance himself from suggestions it was the fault of the Nationals that the Liberals had suffered such a blow.
“That is like saying (defeated Goldstein Liberal) Tim Wilson was a drag on the (Nationals’) vote in central Queensland. They know they’re voting for a Nationals candidate or a Liberals candidate – it’s as clear as that,” he said.
“I’m not responsible for the Liberal Party.”
Mr Joyce said now the coalition of the Liberals and Nationals had lost, the parties would need to renegotiate for a new coalition.
And, if the Nationals decided they needed a new leader to lead the negations, he “accepts that”.
Mr Littleproud took a different tune, saying the coalition was a partnership.
“We are a team, we win together and we lose together,” he told the Nine Network.
WONG MEETS BLINKEN
Newly-appointed Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong has met with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Tokyo.
Ms Wong tweeted photos of herself standing next to Mr Blinken against a backdrop of the Australian and US flags.
“We discussed co-operation to address geostrategic competition in our region, and making action on climate change a hallmark of our Alliance,” she said in the caption.
Wonderful to meet with @SecBlinken again.
— Senator Penny Wong (@SenatorWong) May 24, 2022
The Australia-United States Alliance is central to our security and prosperity.
We discussed cooperation to address geostrategic competition in our region, and making action on climate change a hallmark of our Alliance. pic.twitter.com/uPFKGxl4Up
‘RUINING THE WORLD’: NATIONAL MPS WILD NET ZERO CLAIM
Controversial Nationals senator Matt Canavan says he will continue his fight against net zero, claiming “it’s ruining the world”.
The Coalition copped a bruising in the election, after inner-city Liberal voters turned towards independents, who favoured a more ambitious climate change approach.
The Coalition had been tied down by the Nationals in approaching a deal for net-zero, and while most junior partner party members supported such a deal, Senator Canavan had campaigned against it, before sensationally claiming during the campaign that net zero was “dead”.
The Liberal Party has urged the Nationals to help reach a cohesion that would make the Coalition more votable in 2025, but Senator Canavan has maintained his position.
“I’m absolutely not going to budge; I’m going to actually double down in my fight against net zero because this thing is destroying the world,” Senator Canavan told Sky News.
“I actually don’t care about (potentially becoming more isolated in the party). I am passionate about trying to defend the great industries of this country.”
The comments of Senator Canavan have put the future of the Coalition as a partnership of the Liberal and Nationals party in doubt, and are in contrast to those of fellow party members who have acknowledged a need for climate action.
Gippsland MP Darren Chester said Senator Canavan’s comments surrounding net zero had harmed the broader Coalition vote, and explained why so many former-Liberal voters had turned towards the teal independents.
“(Senator Canavan’s comments) were unhelpful; they didn’t reflect our party's policy. We decided in November last year that, as a party, we would support net zero by 2050,” Mr Chester said.
Deputy leader David Littleproud made similar comments, saying if the Coalition was to win in 2025 it would need to find a “sensible centre”.
“If you want to go down the rabbit hole and move extreme to the left or the right, you will lose,” he told the Nine Network.
“We have to be sensible, work through the issues and understand why we lost.”
ALBO’S ‘FRIENDLY’ CHAT WITH BOJO
The newly-sworn PM started his term as leader with a call to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, bonding over climate change.
The call was the first of many that Albanese made as he flew to Tokyo to meet with his Indian, American and Japanese counterparts for the Quad dialogue on Tuesday.
Mr Albanese held a brief press conference at Parliament House on Monday morning – his first official day on the job – before boarding an RAAF plane with Foreign Minister Penny Wong.
During his flight to Tokyo Mr Albanese had the 25-minute phone call with Mr Johnson.
A spokesman for Mr Albanese described the call as “friendly and very positive” emphasising the “strong relationship between our two great nations.”
Mr Albanese had stressed to Mr Johnson the new Government’s continuing strong commitment to the AUKUS arrangement between Australia, the US and UK, before the pair discussed climate change.
This afternoon I spoke with Prime Minister @BorisJohnson, affirming the strength of Australia’s close relationship with the United Kingdom.
— Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) May 23, 2022
We discussed our shared commitment to AUKUS and to acting on the challenge of climate change. pic.twitter.com/qmE7rvI7br
I spoke to @AlboMP to congratulate him on his election win.
— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) May 23, 2022
We agreed on the vital importance and the exciting opportunities that our AUKUS partnership brings.
We discussed the strong alignment between our joint agendas, covering global security, climate change and trade.
BIDEN LAUNCHES NEW ECONOMIC PLAN
President Biden arrived in Japan on Sunday ahead to Tuesday’s Quad meeting following visit to South Korea.
During his trip to the US leader outlined his plan for an Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, which includes proposals standards for the digital economy, clean energy and supply-chain resilience.
“This framework is a commitment to working with our close friends and partners in the region on challenges that matter most to ensuring economic competitiveness in the 21st century,” he said on his second day in Japan, where he had meetings with the Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and will attend the Quad meeting on Tuesday.
Unlike traditional trade blocs, there is no plan for IPEF members to negotiate tariffs and ease market access – a tool that has become increasingly unpalatable to US voters fearful of seeing homegrown manufacturing undermined.
Instead, the program foresees integrating partners through agreed standards in four main areas: the digital economy, supply chains, clean energy infrastructure and anti-corruption measures.
The starting list of members in addition to the United States is Australia, Brunei, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam.
The countries touted IPEF as a framework for what will ultimately become a tight-knit group of trading nations.
“We share a commitment to a free, open, fair, inclusive, interconnected, resilient, secure, and prosperous Indo-Pacific region,” they said in a joint statement.
“Deepening economic engagement among partners is crucial for continued growth, peace, and prosperity.”
The Framework has been touted as President Biden’s alternative to the Trans-Pacific Partnership which his predecessor Donald Trump pulled America out of when he came to office.
Key American allies in Asia, particularly Japan, remain disappointed in Washington’s decision to walk away from the TPP arguing that region-wide economic grouping is vital to helping to weaken Beijing’s influence in the region.
Mr Albanese will stay two nights in Japan before departing for Australia on Wednesday morning.
More Coverage
Originally published as Election 2022: Peter Dutton to be elected Liberal leader ‘unopposed’; Joe Biden ‘walks out‘ on Anthony Albanese
Join the conversation
Big business weighs in on housing crisis
A powerful business lobby is calling for major reforms to fix the country’s housing crisis.
Read more
Dutton accused of housing plan copycat
Peter Dutton is facing allegations of being a copycat after unveiling a multi-billion dollar housing plan.
Read more