‘I’ll tell you what weakness is’: PM turns on Peter Dutton over guts and glory

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has escalated a clash with Opposition Leader Peter Dutton over personal strength and policy vision during the cost of living crisis, challenging his opponent to front up and accept more scrutiny before this year’s election.

Albanese insisted he had the strength to make hard decisions such as the overhaul of the $323.6 billion stage 3 tax cuts and would make tough calls again if he wins a second term in power, as he laid out a policy pitch to win back voters who have drifted to Dutton.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese speaks at the National Press Club on Friday.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

The prime minister outlined billions of dollars in spending on public schools – including a formal agreement with Victoria and signs of progress with NSW and Queensland – and signalled plans for more action on childcare, Medicare, jobs and wages.

But his response to Dutton intensified the personal contest at the election after months of claims from the opposition leader that Albanese was weak on antisemitism and incompetent on the economy.

Albanese used an address to the National Press Club on Friday to assure voters he would go to the election with a second-term agenda to lift household incomes after four quarters of growth in real wages.

“I’ll tell you what weakness is – weakness is not having the guts to come to the National Press Club,” he said.

While the opposition leader appears to be open to an appearance at the National Press Club, he has not made an address there during this term of parliament. He appeared at only two press conferences in Canberra from June to December, one of which was cut short because it began 15 minutes before question time. Albanese held 16 press conferences in Canberra in the second half of last year.

Albanese portrayed the opposition leader’s media strategy as a sign of weakness and claimed he was not taking enough questions about his policies.

“What’s tough is coming here, fronting up, as I did last year, saying that we have changed our mind on tax cuts – fessing up, making it very clear it wasn’t what we said we would do,” he said.

“We were right to do so. It’s the toughest thing I’ve done this term. It was absolutely the right thing to do.”

Asked if he would commit to three election debates with Dutton including one at the National Press Club, the prime minister said this would be up to Labor national secretary, Paul Erickson, but he added: “I would applaud his diligence and skills if that is the outcome.”

Dutton campaigned in the marginal electorate of Boothby in South Australia on Friday to pitch his policy to allow small businesses to claim up to $20,000 in tax deductions for their work lunches.

“I’m confident that we can form a majority government because millions of Australians cannot afford three more years of Labor,” he said.

Dutton argued that Albanese would have to govern in a hung parliament after the election and this would force Labor into a deal with the Greens and independents, urging voters to back the Coalition to prevent that happening.

Liberal Leader Peter Dutton at a rally on January 21 to introduce new candidates in Western Sydney.Credit: Janie Barrett

Albanese insisted there would be “no coalitions” between Labor and the Greens or others in that scenario, however, and played down the need for cast-iron deals in order to govern in a hung parliament.

“We won’t be entering into any coalitions – the only coalition that exists is the Liberal Party and the National Party,” he said.

Albanese did not rule out negotiating with independent MPs for their support, and Dutton acknowledged that he would also try to get the numbers to become prime minister in a hung parliament, while saying he would never govern with the Greens.

“If we’re not able to form a majority government, then you’re in a position where you have to negotiate with the independents, and that’s just being honest with the Australian public,” Dutton said.

In a question-and-answer session that lasted 49 minutes, the prime minister ruled out another referendum in a second Labor term after the defeat of the Indigenous Voice, defended his approach to superannuation without making any commitments about tax policy in the sector and said there would be no change to the government’s climate target in the wake of the election of Donald Trump as United States president.

Dutton has called on Foreign Minister Penny Wong to cancel plans to represent Australia at a holocaust memorial next week – marking 80 years since the liberation of Auschwitz – because she had antagonised Israel, but the prime minister said she would go.

“Penny Wong is our foreign minister. She has stood up against antisemitism at each and every opportunity and will always continue to do so,” he said.

“She’s someone for whom a core belief in the dignity of every human being is just a part of her character, as much as any person I have met in my entire life.”

Albanese also sought to poke fun at Dutton over Australia Day and the opposition leader’s attack on Woolworths for not selling Australia Day merchandise last year, as exclusive polling for this masthead shows popular support for January 26 as the national day.

“I sometimes think that Peter Dutton every year has a fight with an imaginary friend over something that most Australians are just getting on with – Australia Day,” he said.

“And one of the things that Australia Day celebrates is the fact that we’re not a Soviet-style command system. You know, like, just chill out! Get on with life.”

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