Morrison won’t say whether Dutton will repeat his ‘miracle’ win

Good Friday brought together political adversaries among 20,000 faithful at the Maronite Christian Monastery of Saint Charbel in Sydney’s west.

Local Labor member Tony Burke was there, as was neighbouring Liberal David Coleman with a visiting couple: the Duttons. But so was Scott Morrison and his wife Jenny, making a rare appearance on the campaign trail.

Morrison, a devout Pentecostal Christian who declared his 2019 election win a “miracle”, politely declined to say whether he thought Dutton would do the same – or discuss politics at all.

“Happy to be here with the Maronite community,” Morrison said. “Jenny and I have a long-standing relationship with them. We’re here every year and we’re going to go and have a meal with them.”

It was a community in full force, spilling out of the church’s grounds onto nearby roads, footpaths and homes to listen to hymns in Arabic and English. Parishioners watched a re-enactment of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

Peter and Kirilly Dutton, largely, were just a couple in the crowd. But some were pleased he was there. Daniel Azar, 21, said his vote would be swayed by whether a politician would take a conservative stance on issues such as abortion and voluntary euthanasia.

“Seeing Peter Dutton at church today for Good Friday, to witness the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, shows that people in power, in political power, can see us and recognise us as Catholics and as humans,” Azar said.

But Dutton’s presence alone was not enough to decide his vote, Azar said, who noted Burke had pledged $8 million to upgrade the church’s facilities.

Anthony Albanese and local member Jerome Laxale visit a dog park on Good Friday.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

While Dutton was departing from his traditional campaign routine of visiting petrol stations to spruik his planned fuel excise cut, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visited a dog park in northern Sydney with local member Jerome Laxale.

Dutton, too, made time for those not celebrating Easter, attending the 37th Australian Sikh Games at the Crest Sporting Complex in Bass Hill, seven kilometres west of Saint Charbel, later on Friday afternoon.

The opposition leader, with his wife, made a beeline through the festival surrounded by a circle of supporters and security.

One group of men said they would never vote for Dutton because of his migration policies when he was home affairs minister, while another said their dislike of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s conservatism meant they could not bring themselves to vote for a conservative Australian politician. And a child running past yelled: “What’s he doing here? Ticking off the diversity box?”

Some members of the Sikh community were pleased to see Peter Dutton on Friday.Credit: James Brickwood

Others were pleased with the opposition leader’s presence. As he spoke from the oval celebrating the “amazing Indian community”, a young girl crept over to him grinning, and shared a quiet conversation with Dutton.

Easter, Dutton said, was all about family, no matter one’s faith. A journalist called out asking if Dutton personally had a faith. He did not answer.

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