Peter Dutton says he has ‘no regrets’ about last year’s spill that saw Malcolm Turnbull ousted as PM

Peter Dutton says he has “no regrets” about instigating the spill that ousted Malcolm Turnbull.

Malcolm Turnbull on August 22, last year, faced a leadership challenge from Peter Dutton.

Minister for Home Affairs Peter Dutton says he has “no regrets” about instigating last year’s leadership spill that saw Malcolm Turnbull ousted as prime minister and Scott Morrison elevated to the position of leader.

Speaking on the 12-month anniversary of his failed leadership tilt, Mr Dutton said he made the right decision as Mr Morrison went on to retain government at the “unwinnable” election on May 18.

The home affairs minister said he felt Australians had moved on from the events of August 2018.

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“People are relieved that we’ve changed leader of the Liberal Party,” Mr Dutton told 2GB this morning. “In Scott Morrison, I think we’ve got now a leader that reflects the values not only of the party but of the country as well.

“We’ve also saved our country from Bill Shorten becoming Prime Minister, so no regrets in that regard.”

Malcolm Turnbull walks with his then foreign minister Julie Bishop last year.

In his far-ranging interview with broadcaster Ray Hadley, Mr Dutton also spoke about Australia’s decision to commit a warship to join the US-led international maritime security mission in the Strait of Hormuz and activist group Getup.

It comes as Greens leader Richard Di Natale told ABC radio this morning he was dumbfounded by Mr Morrison’s decision to join the military effort, saying it would ratchet up tensions in the Middle East.

“We don’t spill Australian blood on the back of a request from a dangerous administration, led by a dangerous president,” Senator Di Natale said.

But Mr Dutton said it would be “folly” to walk away from Australia’s military alliance with the US amid growing strategic competition with China across the region.

“Nobody can predict what will happen in our region in the next 10, 20, 30 years and for us to walk away from the US as the Greens and others would want us to do...would be folly,” Mr Dutton said. “I think it would be dangerous and would risk the stability of our country.”

Mathias Cormann and Peter Dutton leave the Liberal Party room meeting at Parliament House in Canberra last August.

When asked about GetUp, a group Mr Morrison labelled a “wolf in wolf’s clothing” on Saturday, Mr Dutton said they weren’t the sound environmental voice and independent organisation people assumed.

“People need to really understand a lot about GetUp — their intimate relationship with the CFMEU, the polling company they’re involved in, the business relationships they have,” Mr Dutton said. “It needs to be exposed and needs to be called-out because people assume they’re an independent organisation.”