Albanese a ‘wet lettuce’ on Chinese survey ship, says Dutton

The Opposition Leader has accused the Prime Minister of not knowing what is happening off Australia’s shores and failing to stand up for the country at a time that strength is needed.

A Chinese research ship has sailed into Australian waters as the country prepares to head to the polls. The Tan Suo Yi Hao, a 94m vessel that carries manned and unmanned small submarines, remains in the Great Australian Bight off South Australia.

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Peter Dutton has accused Anthony Albanese of a “wet lettuce” response to a Chinese survey vessel’s apparent circumnavigation of Australia near the nation’s subsea cables, and of making the country look weak in the face of China’s bad behaviour.

The Opposition Leader claimed Mr Albanese did not know what was happening off Australia’s shores, citing the mix-up over who was monitoring China’s Tan Suo Yi Hao vessel as it passed through southern waters, and that he was imperilling the nation’s security with his weakness.

“The first charge of any prime minister is to protect and defend our country and Anthony Albanese doesn’t know what to do,” Mr Dutton said.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has slammed Anthony Albanese’s handling of the situation. Picture: Thomas Lisson

“One part of the government is saying the Australian Border Force is monitoring what is happening, the other part is saying it is the Australian Defence Force that is monitoring what is happening,” he said during a press conference in Melbourne.

“The Prime Minister himself doesn’t know what is happening.

“It is unbelievable the Prime Minister can’t explain to the Australian people what is happening here.”

The Chinese survey ship, equipped with a submersible vessel capable of reaching depths of 11,000m, was first detected this week passing through Australian waters after a 45-day joint survey of New Zealand’s southern waters.

Its detection comes just weeks after the government learned from a Virgin Australia pilot about a live-fire exercise by Chinese warships in the Tasman Sea.

Security experts have pointed out that Chinese survey ships are almost all dual-use vessels equipped with surveillance capabilities and that the Tan Suo Yi Han was likely gathering some undersea data to assist in future Chinese submarine operations.

China has insisted there is nothing suspicious about the vessel and that it was carrying out “normal activities at sea in accordance with international law”.

“We hope Australia will have a right understanding on this and stop the groundless suspicion and speculations,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said.

Mr Albanese has said he “would prefer it wasn’t there, but we live in circumstances where, just as Australia has vessels in the South China Sea and vessels in the Taiwan Strait and a range of areas, this vessel is there”.

But Mr Dutton said the Prime Minister’s comparison between China’s activity and those of Australian forces in the South China Sea or the Taiwan Strait was “offensive to the men and women of the Royal Australian Navy”.

“The Prime Minister needs to explain that statement,” he said.

“He has made it on multiple occasions. He does it in a way to dismiss what is happening but this is a very serious concern.

“We need to make sure that we have the defences and be a strong country and show leadership to show up for our interests because if we don’t, weakness does not prevail in difficult circumstances.”

Maritime security analysts say China has been steadily expanding its grey-zone toolkit through the militarisation of islands and shoals in the South China Sea, by employing fishing vessels as paramilitary forces, and surveying or patrolling other nation’s waters as a means of expanding sovereign claims.

In recent months, Chinese vessels are also believed to have sabotaged undersea fibre optic cables and pipelines near Taiwan and in the Baltic Sea.

Raymond Powell, a regional maritime security analyst and director of Stanford University’s Gordion Knot Centre for National Security Innovation, told The Australian such actions were likely designed to normalise intimidatory behaviour.

“The general idea is that Australia feels at risk so when it is in negotiations with China or considering whether to do something with America, it has in the back of its mind that China can do this sort of thing,” he said.

Before its trek across southern 🇦🇺#Australia, 🇨🇳#China's Tan Suo Yi Hao research ship surveyed the Puysegur Trench south of 🇳🇿#NewZealand from 30 Jan-15 Mar--the 2nd joint dive mission with NZ's National Institute of Water & Atmospheric research since '22.https://t.co/4b8ZDWNBSehttps://t.co/BcwNxG3owCpic.twitter.com/IQjEwF3Kg8

— Ray Powell (@GordianKnotRay) April 1, 2025

Mr Powell said China likely viewed the Albanese government’s efforts at stabilisation and de-escalation as an opportunity to “reset the board in its favour”.

Mr Dutton told Newcastle Radio 2HD on Tuesday that “Australia had a huge part to play in the world … but we need to call out bad behaviour in our region”.

“I just don’t think our Prime Minister has been able to stand up for our country at a time that is needed,” he said.