Anthony Albanese has effectively thrown his Ministers for Immigration and Home Affairs under a political bus as he struggles to avoid a backlash over the gutter politics of accusing Peter Dutton of “protecting pedophiles over children”.
The Prime Minister has refused to repeat the allegations, endorse what his ministers did and stands accused of abrogating his duty as Labor leader.
After a week of intensely emotional attacks on the Leader of the Opposition in an effort to deflect the blame for the mishandling of the release of more than 100 convicted criminals including murderers, rapists and child sex offenders, Dutton declared on Friday that the Prime Minister has “crossed the line”.
“The Prime Minister crossed the line this week. The fact is, it’s the complete opposite of the truth and you can say that is the rough and tumble of politics but I really think that the wheels are falling off the government,” Dutton said.
“I think they’re becoming more and more desperate and they lash out like this and the Prime Minister sent his ministers out. He didn’t have the guts to make the comments himself.,”
Immigration Minister Andrew Giles and Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil accused Dutton in Parliament of being responsible for the “whole thing” in the release of the immigration detainees as well as being a “protector of pedophiles” and “an apologist for child sex offenders”.
Other Ministers agreed with the attack on Dutton as part of a government-wide effort to destroy the resurgent Coalition Leader.
O’Neil continued the parliamentary attack on Thursday accusing Dutton of being a protector of pedophiles and had to be brought into line by the Speaker, Milton Dick, who forced her, over government arguments, to withdraw the remarks and moderate her language.
On Thursday evening, despite other ministers endorsing O’Neil’s attack, Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles refused to repeat the allegations as did former Labor Leader Bill Shorten who said they were not his words and said he would have mounted a different attack on Dutton.
Shorten has previously refused to parrot the lines distributed to Ministers on moral and political issues, most recently taking a strong stand against the rise of anti-Semitism.
Shortly after Dutton’s television declaration on Friday morning that Albanese had gone too far, had “crossed the line”, had sent his ministers out on the attack and didn’t have the guts to make the comment himself, Albanese tried to distance himself from the accusations in a final interview with Melbourne’s 3AW host Neil Mitchell who is retiring.
When asked twice if he endorsed the words of his ministers accusing Dutton of being a protector of pedophiles, Albanese said: “I’m accountable for what I say”.
When Mitchell said “you’re the boss” and asked again if he endorsed what was said Albanese repeated: “I’m responsible for what I say”.
He then said it was time that Dutton was “responsible for what he said”.
Despite leading the Parliamentary attacks and standing by the ministers who ferociously attacked Dutton, Albanese is now refusing to repeat the words, endorse his ministers or apologise.
Even as a victim of Parliamentary attacks Dutton is coming out on top of Labor’s ministers, demanding Albanese take leadership responsibility and turning public opinion further against Labor.
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