Labor, Greens vow to hound Peter Dutton ‘until election’

The Greens and Labor will keep pressure on Peter Dutton despite failing to move a no-confidence motion against him.

Minister for Home Affairs Peter Dutton. Picture: AAP

Labor and the Greens will keep pressure on Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton “right up until the election” despite failing to move a no-confidence motion against him and Scott Morrison urging the parties to “move on from their games”.

Mr Dutton and Scott Morrison were forced to beat away attacks today after a Labor-Greens Senate committee report found Mr Dutton had misled parliament over the au pair affair.

Labor and the Greens argue Mr Dutton misled the House of Representatives after he ruled out any personal connection with the au pairs or their intended hosts, one of which was his former Queensland police colleague Russell Keag.

The government also made a managerial error in the House of Representatives that almost gave Greens MP Adam Bandt a symbolic victory as he attempted to move a no-confidence motion against Mr Dutton.

Adam Bandt. Picture: Kym Smith

“The Labor Party have been kicking up a lot of dust this week about votes and how it’s all going to go, and on each and every occasion our team has stood fast in the parliament. So what it has shown today is frankly Labor are just full of a lot of hot air,” the Prime Minister said.

“It’s time for the Labor Party to move on from their games and the Greens to move on from their games and the government is focused 100 per cent on the needs of the Australian people.”

Mr Morrison dismissed as “nonsense” a Nine News report Liberal MP Julia Banks, who will not contest the election following the leadership turmoil and alleged bullying, had told colleagues she did not want to support Mr Dutton.

Mr Bandt’s bid to suspend standing orders — which, if successful, would have then allowed him to move the no confidence motion — was defeated 68-67.

That one-vote margin allowed Mr Bandt to declare: “You shouldn’t be able, as a Minister, to rely on your own vote to avoid losing a division on the floor of parliament but that’s exactly what Peter Dutton has done.”

The Australian understands the government should have won that division by two votes but following a “miscommunication” accidentally pulled four of its members from the floor of the chamber instead of three.

Even if Mr Bandt had won the vote, he would not have been able to suspend standing orders to move his no confidence motion because it requires an absolute majority of 76 members to succeed.

“We’ll keep pursuing Peter Dutton right up until the election,” Mr Bandt said.

Manager of opposition business Tony Burke questioned if Mr Dutton’s vote was valid, given eligibility concerns surrounding the Minister.

Mr Dutton has repeatedly said he is clear to sit in parliament.

“Mr Morrison should refer him, just as Malcolm Turnbull referred Barnaby Joyce,” Mr Burke said.

Bill Shorten asked Mr Dutton why au pairs could get visas “in a matter of hours” when Australian captain Jason Scanes, who was in the public gallery of the House of Representatives, had been unable to get a visa for his Afghan interpreter.

Mr Dutton said he was happy to meet with Mr Scanes to discuss the matter but he had not intervened in cases where he had received advice from intelligence agencies or would be acting against the national interest.