‘Temperamentally unfit’: Chalmers leads Labor pile on over Russia
Labor has launched a no-holds-barred attack on Peter Dutton’s foreign policy credentials, with Treasurer Jim Chalmers declaring Dutton’s not fit to manage Australia’s international relationships.
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Labor has launched a full-frontal assault on Peter Dutton’s foreign policy credentials, with Treasurer Jim Chalmers declaring the Opposition Leader of being “temperamentally unfit” to manage Australia’s international relationships.
It came as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese refused to say what his government had done to stop Russia and Indonesia strengthening ties, contrasting foreign policy to his diehard support of the South Sydney Rabbitohs.
Labor’s extraordinary attack on Peter Dutton came after the Opposition Leader wrongly said that the Indonesian President had “publicly announced” that Russia was seeking to base long-range military aircraft in Indonesia.
Indonesia has not said whether Russia made the request, and has said reports that Russian warplanes would operate from Indonesia are false.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese accused Mr Dutton of “verballing” President Prabowo Subianto and being “reckless” with the bilateral relationship.
Mr Albanese refused to say what, if anything, Australia has done to prevent Russia from strengthening ties with one of our closest neighbours.
Last year, Russia and Indonesia conducted joint naval exercises in Indonesian waters.
“Our relationship with Indonesia has never been stronger, including our defence relationship,” he said, before bizarrely comparing foreign policy with supporting an NRL team.
“Indonesia is a sovereign nation … This isn’t a sort of team thing where it’s like you have to just go for South on every week, and you don’t worry about any other teams and what they’re doing.
“Our task, is to develop good relationships with Indonesia, that’s what we’re doing,” he said.
Mr Albanese cast doubt on a report in defence publication Janes, which said that Russia had requested to station war planes in Indonesia.
“You’re assuming the Janes report is correct, and there is no basis for you assuming that,” he said in Melbourne.
Defence Minister Richard Marles said he was assured by his Indonesian counterpart that Russian planes would not be stationed in Indonesia.
However, Mr Marles has not said whether or not Russia made the request.
“What we do know is what the Indonesian government has said themselves, which is that this (housing Russian war planes) is not being (considered),” the PM said on Wednesday.
Treasurer Chalmers said that Mr Dutton’s incorrect comments about President Probowo should disqualify the Opposition Leader from taking office.
“Peter Dutton is too risky and too reckless to be the prime minister of a great country like ours.
“He is temperamentally unfit to manage our relationships in the world and to manage our economy here at home,” he said.
“What we saw yesterday was a disqualifying moment from Peter Dutton when it came to the comments that he made about the Indonesian President.”
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