Peter Dutton brands ABC and The Guardian ‘hate media’

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has accused the ABC and other media of covering his campaign unfairly, labelling them “hate media” and urging supporters to listen to their hearts when they cast their votes this week.

Dutton blasted the ABC, The Guardian and other media for their coverage during an address to cheering supporters in Melbourne on Sunday, while preparing a campaign blitz this week and saying he is confident of seizing victory.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton at the Victorian Liberal Party rally in Melton in the seat of Hawke on Sunday.Credit: James Brickwood

The comments air new complaints about the media after years of friction between the Coalition and the public broadcaster, while published polls suggest the Coalition has lost ground against Labor during the election campaign to date.

“I have no doubt in my mind that we can win this election,” the opposition leader told supporters in the Melbourne suburb of Melton, which sits in the seat of Hawke. The seat is held by Labor but it is seen by Liberals as a key target.

Dutton urged supporters to heed the message from voters at polling station doors during early voting, rather than pay attention to the media.

“Forget about what you have been told by the ABC, in The Guardian and the other hate media. Listen to what you hear [at] the doors, listen to what people say on the pre-polling, know in your hearts we are a better future for our country,” he said.

“We stand up for the values that are more important than ever for families and small businesses, if we stay true to our values and have a strength of leadership.”

Support for Dutton in the polls has declined over the campaign. This masthead’s Resolve Political Monitor found the Labor primary vote has risen and Coalition support has fallen, giving the government a lead of 53.5 per cent in two-party terms.

The complaint about the media follows years of grievances within the Liberals and Nationals over the ABC, and regular criticism from Dutton about the broadcaster and its journalists.

Earlier in the campaign, on April 2, Dutton demanded the public broadcaster demonstrate “excellence” to show taxpayers it deserved its annual funding of more than $1 billion.

According to the ABC’s latest annual report, there are about 4500 ABC staff in cities, and 600 in regional and rural areas. About 2470 are in NSW, 980 in Victoria, 610 in Queensland, 330 in South Australia, 270 in Western Australia, 190 in the ACT, 150 in Tasmania and 120 in the Northern Territory.

ABC Friends president Cassandra Parkinson said the opposition leader’s remarks were “reprehensible”.

“He hasn’t even tried to hide his hostility towards our national broadcaster, and he has exhibited the very bias that he regularly levels at the ABC,” she said.

“Independent surveys have consistently shown that millions of Australians - something like 80 per cent - trust the ABC as a source of news and information.

“Supporters of the ABC can be forgiven for assuming that Peter Dutton will gut the ABC if he wins the election, just as the Coalition did when it was last in power.”

ABC Friends, a not-for-profit group that lobbies for the broadcaster, is planning to distribute its views to members and supporters, and other voters, in seats it has targeted at the election.

Guardian Australia editor Lenore Taylor said she stood by its reporting of the election.

“We have covered the campaign, informed our readers about policies on offer and held all parties and candidates to account,” she said.

Dutton lashed an ABC reporter last October when the journalist asked what determined militant group Hezbollah to be a terrorist organisation.

ABC reporter Anushri Sood told Dutton her question was: “If you could just explain what determines something is a terrorist organisation?”

Dutton took the opportunity to slam the ABC, saying the broadcaster appeared not to support parliament’s bipartisan decision to list Hezbollah as a terrorist group.

“Now, if the ABC doesn’t support that, they should be very clear about it because I think that’s quite a departure,” Dutton said.

In September 2015, Dutton said there was a “huge move by Fairfax at the moment to try and bring the government down” and this was “being helped” by the ABC.

In a sign of the Liberal Party’s concerns about the ABC over many years, the party’s peak federal council voted in 2018 to privatise the public broadcaster despite warnings against this stance from the party’s own federal leaders.

This was not binding on the Turnbull government, which held office at the time.

Communications Minister Michelle Rowland took aim at Dutton on Sunday afternoon with a tweet on social media about media freedom.

“Around the world, free and independent media is under attack from politicians afraid of scrutiny. The last thing Australia needs is for Peter Dutton to import those dangerous ideas here,” she wrote.

Cut through the noise of federal politics with news, views and expert analysis. Subscribers can sign up to our weekly Inside Politics newsletter.