ALP’s review shows mad panic under the water: Peter Dutton

Peter Dutton says Labor’s damning election review shows how the party is tearing each other apart.

Peter Dutton also accused Richard Marles of throwing Bill Shorten under the bus. Picture: AAP.

Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton has labelled the Labor Party’s damning review into the May 18 election loss as a “a glimpse into the mad panic that’s under the water.”

Speaking on Nine’s Today show on Friday Mr Dutton poured cold water over claims Labor had learned from its mistakes, saying the opposition were in fact “tearing each other apart”. “They’re tearing each other internally apart at the moment and what you’re seeing on the surface is only a glimpse into the mad panic that’s under the water,” Mr Dutton said.

“I think they’ve got a long process to go through but the fundamentals where you want to tax people are beyond any reasonable expectation? Australians just won’t cop it.”

“Anthony Albanese will lead us to an election win in 2020… this is a hopeless government which needs to be seen the back of.” @RichardMarlesMP on the review into Labor's May election loss. #9Today pic.twitter.com/BFj37utaIN

— The Today Show (@TheTodayShow) November 7, 2019

Mr Dutton also accused Deputy Labor Leader Richard Marles, who joined him on the Today Show, of throwing his “best mate” and “closest confidante” Bill Shorten under a bus.

“Richard is actually a confidante of Bill Shorten, one of his best mates, was an adviser before the election,” Mr Dutton said.

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“They’ve thrown Bill under a bus. The fact is Albo [Anthony Albanese] is struggling big time and it’s not just in the cities but in the regions.”

Mr Dutton accused Labor of not knowing what they stand for.

But Mr Marles defended the former leader, saying Mr Shorten could have won the election if Labor had delivered a less cluttered policy agenda.

Mr Marles said while the review was “brutal” it was a process his party needed to go through.

“It is brutal and it is difficult reading but it’s a process we need to go through,” Mr Marles said.

“May 18 was a very bad day for Labor that is to state the obvious but I think the Australian people would want to know that the difficult message they gave us on that day is one that we heard.”
The deputy Labor leader said the review made it clear to the Australian people Labor was listening and assured voters the party would now implement the lessons learned from the shock election loss to deliver a victory in 2022.

“Anthony Albanese is a fantastic leader,” Mr Marles said. “He will lead us to an election win in 2022 – make no bones about it.”

Opposition home affairs spokeswoman Kristina Kenally told Channel Seven’s Sunrise that while the review had been searing, honest and difficult, the reccomendations needed to be understood and implemented.

“Labor though always has been and always will be the party that is about secure jobs, good wages and a fair opportunity for Australians,” Senator Keneally said. “Unfortunately in this last campaign we allowed ourselves to be portrayed as the opponent of those things, not the champion of them.”

“When Anthony talks about how our values do not change, that’s what he means.”