Warren Mundine preselection: processes never clean in politics, Peter Dutton says

Peter Dutton says he can understand the anger felt by dumped Liberal candidate, but backs the move to run Warren Mundine.

Peter Dutton says he can understand why dumped Grant Schultz is upset, but defends the move to go with Warren Mundine in Gilmore. Picture: AAP

Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton says “processes are never clean” in politics as he lauded Gilmore candidate Warren Mundine for seeking to prevent Bill Shorten becoming prime minister.

Mr Dutton said he could understand why dumped Liberal candidate Grant Schultz was aggrieved but defended Scott Morrison’s decision to hand pick the former ALP president as the candidate for the regional NSW seat.

“Warren Mundine has taken a decision as somebody who knows Bill Shorten very well to do all he can to stop Bill Shorten becoming prime minister,” Mr Dutton told 2GB radio.

“The processes are never clean, never easy in politics. That is the reality. The Prime Minister has made a choice in Warren Mundine, who is a very accomplished person. He is a very decent person.”

Mr Mundine this morning said he was not considering running for parliament until he was approached by Mr Morrison.

“When I had the conversation with the Prime Minister I wasn’t thinking of running for parliament,” Mr Mundine told 2GB radio.

“But when he had the conversation with me I said, ‘okay, I’m happy’.

“I’m a country boy, I was born in the bush, I spent half my life in the bush, I own businesses in the bush.”

Deputy Labor leader Tanya Plibersek questioned why Mr Morrison never raised allegations of bullying against sitting member Ann Sudmalis when she was under a preselection challenge from Mr Schultz.

“If Scott Morrison is now saying he had to intervene in the preselection for Gilmore because Ann Sudmalis was bullied out of her seat, why didn’t he stand up when Ann Sudmalis said she was being bullied out of her seat and intervene to save her in the way he intervened to save Craig Kelly?” Ms Plibersek told ABC radio.

“So Scott Morrison is not prepared to intervene to save Ann Sudmalis, or Jane Prentice, but he is prepared to intervene to save Craig Kelly and parachute in celebrity candidate into the seat of Gilmore, Warren Mundine. Why? What’s the logic of all of this?”