Dutton hits out at politicians over African crime gangs in Melbourne

Peter Dutton hits back at critics of his campaign on African gangs, accusing Adam Bandt and Daniel Andrews of being “the problem’’.

Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton in parliament. Picture: Stuart McEvoy

Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton has hit back at critics of his campaign to highlight African crime gangs in Melbourne, pointing the finger at politicians including Greens MP Adam Bandt and premier Daniel Andrews for being “the problem in Victoria”.

“Victorians have been victims of these gangs and are shaking their heads at politicians who ignore reality,” Mr Dutton told The Australian, after his description of Victoria as a “fairyland” copped a backlash.

“There is a problem. The bail laws in Victoria are the problem. Mr Andrews is the person who can fix it.”

Mr Dutton also took issue with comments by former Liberal premier Jeff Kennett, who said that the federal government needed to take some responsibility because migrants and refugees had been invited to come to Australia and were not provided ample support to adjust and find work.

“I have a lot of respect for Jeff and if he was right on this issue there would be a problem with Sundanese gangs across the country and there is not,” Mr Dutton said.

“The problem is in Victoria and the Andrews Government has created it by the ‘tag and release’ bail system they preside over.

“Why is Daniel Andrews allowing one per cent of the community define the 99 per cent that are good?”

His comments came after Jeff Kennett rebuked Mr Dutton for labelling Victoria a “fairyland” and “parallel universe” where people are in denial over the extent of the African gang problem.

Mr Kennett, a former Victorian premier, urged Mr Dutton to take responsibility for the issue.

The Liberal Party stalwart, who campaigned for Mr Dutton during the 2001 federal election, said the minister had a right to say what he liked but his earlier claim about Melburnians feeling unsafe to go to restaurants at night was “a bridge too far”.

Mr Dutton has faced a backlash over his latest comments on Melbourne’s crime wave, in which he suggested it was considered politically incorrect to use the words “African gang violence” in Victoria.

Referring to reports of a jump in complaints to the state’s Human Rights Commissioner over his comments about gang violence, Mr Dutton told 2GB radio: “No, no. I’m a racist, and there’s been a 70 per cent spike in the number of complaints to the Human Rights Commissioner in Victoria because I called people involved in home invasions African gang members, even though they’re of African descent and they’re involved in gang activity in Victoria. It’s like some parallel universe going on down there at the moment where you’re not allowed to refer to these people as ‘in gangs’. I mean, it’s fairyland stuff.”

While Adam Bandt, the Greens MP for Melbourne, accused Mr Dutton of overstating the problem, Mr Kennett said Victorians recognised there was an issue.

“There’s been some awful crime, some frightening crime — that’s correct,” Mr Kennett said.

“But the question is whether those responsible are doing what has to be done to reduce the risk.

“I think Peter … has got to say, ‘there’s an issue; it might even be an issue of my making in part because the government didn’t put in place sufficient resources to help (migrants) adjust to life in Australia and get them occupied’.’’

“It’s easy to throw mud but it doesn’t actually solve anything.”

Mr Bandt described Mr Dutton as “one of the worst kinds of politician” who was “using race and fear to try to win votes”.

“Crime is down in Victoria and the Sudanese population make up about 1 per cent (of crimes) as far as I understand the statistics, so there is not a problem with African gangs in the way that Peter Dutton is talking about,” he told Sky News. “You’re not welcome in Melbourne — in a tolerant, multicultural city — if you want to try to use race to win votes.”