Dutton’s ‘bizarre’ deportation referendum idea ridiculed by Labor

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Treasurer Jim Chalmers have ridiculed Opposition Leader Peter Dutton’s proposal for a potential referendum on deporting criminals with dual nationality as a thought bubble and a bizarre proposal designed to distract from the Coalition’s thin economic policy agenda.

This masthead revealed on Tuesday that Dutton was pondering an election pledge on changing the Constitution to allow ministers to cancel the citizenship of people guilty of crimes such as terrorism, in what would be the second referendum in as many terms of parliament.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton.Credit: Eamon Gallagher

Under firm questioning on the Sunrise program on whether the nation could afford to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on a referendum at the same time as the opposition is pledging to rein in spending, Dutton said he “didn’t think you could put a price” on keeping kids safe in the community.

He also noted “you can walk and chew gum” when pressed on raising the issue of a referendum when people want to know the Coalition’s economic policies.

The failed Voice to parliament referendum, which Dutton opposed, cost $450 million.

Dutton argued the reform may need a referendum, rather than a law, after the High Court ruled in 2022 that under the Constitution only judges could strip criminals of citizenship, not ministers.

“We can do as much as we can by legislation, but as they say, you can’t out-legislate the Constitution. The Constitution is the rule book and people don’t change it lightly, and they need good reason to,” Dutton said on Sunrise.

“As you point out with the Voice, it was the wrong issue for the government to put to the people.

“What we’re proposing here is a discussion about whether we’ve got adequate laws, whether the Constitution is restrictive, and ultimately, what I want to do is keep our country safe and keep communities safe.

“I think there are a lot of Australians at the moment who are worried about the rise of antisemitism and what we’ve seen in our country, and elsewhere, which just doesn’t reflect the values that we’ve fought for over many generations.”

Dutton also suggested any new laws could be used to deport paedophiles, as well as terrorists and spies.

Speaking at a press conference, Albanese said shadow ministers were sending mixed signals about the plan that he argued had “not been thought through”.

“It is not clear where this has come from. Peter Dutton wants to talk about anything but the cost of living,” he said, claiming Dutton had “no plans, just thought bubbles”.

This masthead first reported that Dutton viewed a referendum as a serious prospect if he won the election and could not find a legislative fix to deporting dual nationals. A decision has not yet been made on whether Dutton will announce plans for a referendum during the May election campaign.

Labor seized on the possibility of another referendum to claim Dutton was trying to distract from a debate about the quality of his economic agenda, which has come under scrutiny in the past week.

Chalmers told ABC’s RN Breakfast: “He quite bizarrely wants another referendum. I don’t think this idea will last long, just like a lot of the other things that he said in an effort to try and avoid talking about the economy and his cuts.”

Former attorney-general and influential moderate Liberal George Brandis, who opposed a similar 2015 plan put by then prime minister Tony Abbott, said the referendum was a very bad idea.

“An unwanted referendum, without bipartisan support, to overturn the High Court? It is as mad an idea as I have heard in a long time. If it is indeed under consideration, that consideration should stop right now,” Brandis writes in an opinion piece for this masthead.

Dutton’s approval ratings have dipped recently, coinciding with an interest rate cut, Labor’s $8.5 billion Medicare announcement, Cyclone Alfred and negative stories about Dutton’s bank share purchases and property portfolio and his attendance at a Sydney fundraiser days before a cyclone hit his home state. Albanese attended a fundraiser on the same day.

Shadow attorney-general Michaelia Cash said in a statement that the Coalition had “no plans to hold a referendum at this stage” but would look at a referendum as a last resort “if it gets to the point where it is necessary to amend our Constitution to keep Australians safe”.

Opposition transport spokeswoman Bridget McKenzie more strongly backed the referendum proposal and added that she believed a constitutional convention should be held before the national vote to debate the issue.

“[It is an] absolutely appropriate thing to amend our Constitution so that we can keep Australians safe. And I think our country is mature enough to have that debate,” she said on RN Breakfast.

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