Bob Carr, Peter Dutton war of words heats up over leaked texts

Bob Carr has challenged Peter Dutton to reveal who leaked Gladys Berejiklian’s texts if it wasn’t the Defence Minister himself.

Bob Carr has challenged Peter Dutton to reveal who leaked Gladys Berejiklian’s texts after the Defence Minister declared he wasn’t involved.

The online war of words kicked off when former NSW premier Carr claimed on social media that Dutton was the mystery frontbencher who had leaked texts between Ms Berejiklian and a Liberal MP.

Dutton denied all involvement via his own account on Sunday night saying “Bob Carr’s Tweet is baseless, untrue and should be deleted.”

But on Monday morning Carr weighed in again, challenging Dutton to reveal who had leaked the texts if it wasn’t him.

Only one way Peter Dutton can win his case: get another colleague to admit that they were the source for comments about the Prime Minister. If not you, Mr Dutton, which of your colleagues? Until then who has most to gain from undermining further a flailing PM?

— Bob Carr (@bobjcarr) February 6, 2022

“Only one way Peter Dutton can win his case: get another colleague to admit that they were the source for comments about the Prime Minister,” Carr wrote.

“If not you, Mr Dutton, which of your colleagues.” Carr claimed the Defence Minister “has the most to gain” from the text drama.

Mr Carr initially claimed Dutton had shown Channel 10 journalist Peter van Onselen messages in which Gladys Berejiklian allegedly called the Prime Minister a “horrible, horrible person”.

“The minister who shared the text with van Onselen and gave permission to use it was Peter Dutton,” Mr Carr wrote.

The minister who shared the text with van Onselen and gave permission to use it was Peter Dutton. If PM Morrison has one more week in free fall the prospect of a leadership change pre-election is real. Party rules don’t count if most MPs think you will lead them to defeat.

— Bob Carr (@bobjcarr) February 6, 2022

He added there was a “real” possibility of a federal leadership spill before the upcoming election following the texting scandal.

An hour and a half later, Mr Dutton fired back, denying any involvement in leaking the texts.

@bobjcarr's tweet is baseless, untrue and should be deleted.

— Peter Dutton (@PeterDutton_MP) February 6, 2022

The leaked exchange between ms Berejiklian and the mystery MP included the former female premier calling Mr Morrison a “horrible, horrible person” and declaring she did not trust him.

The current Liberal cabinet minister, who has remained unnamed, allegedly called Mr Morrison a “complete psycho” and a fraud.

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg launched a stunning attack in defence of Dutton, telling Channel 9 Mr Carr suffered from “a bad bout of relevancy deprivation syndrome”.

“Bob Carr was a waste of space as Foreign Minister,” Mr Frydenberg said.

He claimed there was no further rift between Joyce and the PM following the Nationals leader‘s public apology.

Peter Dutton denied the claim. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

Former NSW premier Bob Carr. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dylan Coker

Barnaby Joyce, with respect to his text message, made it very clear that he reserved … He gave an unreserved apology to Scott Morrison. That was accepted,” Mr Frydenberg said.

“And I’ve seen up close both Barnaby Joyce and Scott Morrison around the Cabinet table, around the National Security Committee, around the expenditure review committee, and it is a constructive relationship.”

Ms Berejiklian said in a statement she had “no recollection” of the text exchange, sent during the Black Summer bushfires, and that the PM had her “very strong support”.

Mr Morrison dismissed the texts as “gossip” when questioned by van Onselen at the National Press Club on Tuesday.

It comes following a second texting scandal in the same week, after Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce was revealed to have called the PM “a hypocrite and a liar” in messages to Brittany Higgins in March 2021- while he was still on the backbench.