Bridget Archer has blasted Peter Dutton for appearing to “weaponise” child sexual abuse for “some perceived political advantage” after the Liberal backbencher crossed the floor to vote against a motion calling for a royal commission into child sexual abuse in Indigenous communities.
A furious Archer told Guardian Australia on Tuesday she would probably support a royal commission into child sexual abuse if any new inquiry examined the prevalence of that behaviour in all parts of the community, not just in Indigenous communities.
Archer is a survivor of child sexual abuse. Her criticism followed Dutton’s move to suspend the standing orders early on Thursday to demand that parliament back the Coalition’s call for a royal commission into child sexual abuse in Indigenous communities.
Dutton’s motion also called for a new audit of spending on Indigenous programs and “practical policy ideas” to improve the lives of Indigenous Australians to help close the gap.
After voting against the Coalition’s motion, the Liberal backbencher said child sexual abuse was “a significant issue right across the country”.
“The numbers bear that out,” Archer said.
Archer pointed to a recent commission of inquiry in Tasmania examining the responses of government institutions to allegations of child sexual abuse dating back more than 20 years.
That inquiry found children had been abused in a range of government institutions, including hospitals and schools, and the responses had been inadequate.
“Are there issues in Indigenous communities? Of course,” Archer said on Thursday.
“What’s needed is action. We could act now.”
Asked about Archer’s action in a 2GB interview, Dutton said he couldn’t “understand why anyone would vote against a royal commission into what I think is one of the country’s most serious issues”.
Pressed by radio host Ray Hadley about Archer’s position in the Liberal Party, Dutton said he would have a “private conversation” with the Bass MP.
“In the Liberal Party you’ve got the ability to cross the floor if that’s where your conscience takes you,” Dutton said.
On this issue though, I don’t understand why Bridget crossed the floor … I think she’s made a mistake, it’s the wrong decision,” he said.
Hadley claimed Liberal supporters would “stand up and cheer” if Dutton told her to leave the party. Dutton did not push back on that comment.
SNAICC, the advocacy group representing Indigenous children, claimed the Coalition’s call for an inquiry was made “without one shred of real evidence being presented”.
“If any politician, or anyone at all, has any evidence about the sexual abuse of children then they must report it to the authorities.”
Archer argued the Liberal leadership was engaged in mixed messaging. “I also think there are inconsistencies in what was said during the voice referendum.”
“We don’t want to divide the country by race, yet we are singling out abuse in Indigenous communities,” she said.
“It’s very difficult to see [this motion] as anything other than weaponising abuse for some perceived political advantage.”
Archer campaigned for a yes vote in her marginal Tasmanian seat of Bass.
It has been clear since the start of the week that Dutton’s post-referendum push for an audit of government spending would fail. Labor, the Greens and the independent senator David Pocock are all opposed.
Even the independent senator Lidia Thorpe, who has backed a more limited review of the “governance processes of organisations that are meant to represent” First Nations people, distanced herself from the Coalition’s call for a broader review of all spending.
Dutton told parliament on Thursday morning he wanted the royal commission to examine the “power imbalance that exists in some of the communities”.
He said Indigenous children in remote communities were some of the most vulnerable people in Australia, so it was “absolutely unbelievable” the government would decline to consider the motion and “find a pathway forward”.
Dutton – a former police officer, who established the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation during his time in government – said child sexual abuse, assault and exploitation, was a “complete abomination”. He said the failure to establish a royal commission equated to a failure to protect children.
He said abuse was not occurring in all communities but “a royal commission has the ability to pull people in to provide evidence to look at the situation as it exists”.
“Somehow, we don’t see this as a priority in this parliament, or the prime minister doesn’t see it as a priority for this parliament to call for a royal commission to understand what is happening,” Dutton said.
The suspension debate triggered rowdy scenes in the parliament. The health minister, Mark Butler, told the chamber the government would not support Dutton’s motion.
“It should be recognised that every single person across this parliament is committed to fighting abuse of children,” the health minister said.
But Butler said Dutton’s motion was “about trying to score a political point against the government”.
Butler responded to a volley of “angry” interjections from the opposition during the suspension debate.
