Peter Dutton accuses Bill Shorten of politically correct nonsense in Lebanese Muslim row

Peter Dutton says Labor MP who received death threats after his migrant comments should look to her leader for answers.

Anne Aly. Picture: AAP.

Immigration Minister Peter Dutton has told a Labor MP who has received death threats in the wake of his comments about migrants that she should look to her own leader for answers.

Labor MP and counter-terrorism expert Anny Aly, who was born in Egypt, says she’s received threatening emails since Mr Dutton told parliament two-thirds of people recently charged with terrorism offences were of Muslim-Lebanese descent.

“The question she should be asking is of Bill Shorten, why did he seek to whip this up into an issue of political advantage for himself? Why did he seek to misrepresent my words?” Mr Dutton told reporters in Canberra on Thursday

Mr Dutton, when answering questions about Sudanese migrants last week, blamed Fraser government immigration policies for problems such as radicalisation and gang violence 30 years on.

He doubled down in parliament this week, saying that 22 of the 33 people most recently charged with terrorism offences were from “second- and third-generation Lebanese Muslim backgrounds”.

“I’m not going to step back from this,” Mr Dutton saidtoday, insisting he wanted an honest discussion and that his words had been factual. “I’m not going to be intimidated or misrepresented by somebody like Bill Shorten.”

Bill’s ‘politically correct nonsense’

Immigration Minister Peter Dutton has fought back over the Lebanese Muslim row, saying millions of Australians wanted an “honest discussion” on migration from their politicians instead of the “politically correct nonsense language” employed by Bill Shorten.

The row stems from Mr Dutton’s statement that of the last 33 people to have been charged with terrorist-related offences, 22 were from a second and third generation Lebanese-Muslim background.

Referring to the Lebanese Muslim community, Mr Dutton told parliament this week: “I am not going to allow people who are hardworking, who have done the right thing by this country, who have contributed, who have worked hard and who have educated their children, to be ­defined by those people who have done the wrong thing.”

Speaking to 2GB radio today, Mr Dutton said it was important to deal with issues “carefully, responsibly but honestly,” and accused Mr Shorten of misrepresenting him in an attempt to turn the issue into a political advantage for Labor.

“I’m not going to be dishonest in this discussion,” he said. “I’ve spoken the truth. What’s happened though is Bill Shorten … sought to completely misrepresent what I said. And the point that I was making is that we should call out the small number within the community, within the Lebanese community who are doing the wrong thing.”

“If we do that we can hold up the vast majority of people within the Lebanese community who work as hard as you and I do, who have contributed to Australian society, who are captains of industry, people that have worked hard, provided their kids with an education.

“They are being besmirched, those good people are being besmirched by these people in the Lebanese community who have done the wrong thing.”

Speaking in parliament house after the interview, Mr Dutton took aim at the Greens and accused them of labelling him a racist and a bigot. Earlier today Greens Senator Nick McKim conceded Mr Dutton had not made any errors of fact in his comments on Lebanese Muslims.

Mr Dutton said that Mr Shorten had now been “caught out” trying to manipulate his comments on Lebanese Muslims in a “deceptive,” “underhanded” and “tricky” manner.

“He’s out conducting himself in a dishonourable way,” Mr Dutton said. “It’s backfired on him.”