Peter Dutton doubles down on war talk

Peter Dutton has accused Labor of being ‘weak at the knees’ on China and ‘crab-walking away’ from its commitment to AUKUS.

Peter Dutton has accused Labor of being “weak at the knees” on China and “crab-walking away” from its commitment to AUKUS in retaliation to accusations he was talking up the prospect of war to win votes.

The Defence Minister launched the attack after Labor’s foreign affairs spokeswoman Penny Wong accused him of trying to secure electoral advantage through “dangerous” and inflammatory rhetoric towards China.

He intensified his criticism of China, accusing Beijing of “completely unacceptable” behaviour towards Australia and its regional neighbours, saying China could maintain peace in the region by refraining from invading Taiwan.

“We have seen coercion and ‘grey zone’ activity and cyber attacks on our country, on our near neighbours. All of that is on the public record, and so much more is not,” Mr Dutton said.

He accused Labor of ignoring the threat, “just as they did on boats”.

“There was no equivocation at the time (of the AUKUS agreement) from Anthony Albanese, and now we have this soft language, this diplomatic language, that will excite some of Penny Wong’s supporters.

“But it is clear the Labor Party has a very different position when it comes to the alliance.”

Mr Dutton said there was “nothing remarkable” in his statement to The Weekend Australian less than a fortnight ago that it was “inconceivable” Australia would not back the US in a war with China over Taiwan.

Senator Wong, in a speech on Wednesday to the ANU’s Nat­ional Security College, said the comments – months out from a federal election – were irresponsible and out of step with the US policy of “strategic ambiguity” in relation to Taiwan.

“Amping up the prospect of war against a superpower is the most dangerous election tactic in Australian history,” she said. “(It’s) a tactic employed by irresponsible politicians … desperate to hang on to power at any cost.”

Mr Dutton said Senator Wong’s speech was “irresponsible” and “could have been written by Paul Keating”.

He said his comment to The Weekend Australian “wasn’t anything other than a statement of reality”.

“The Labor Party is crab-walking away from AUKUS, and that is demonstrated again today by Senator Wong’s comments. The fact is that we have a very ­serious situation in the Indo-­Pacific.

“That is not just the assessment of Australia or our allies, it is the assessment of others in ­Europe and right around the world.”