Peter Dutton has agreed with prime minister Anthony Albanese that the detention of Australian journalist and WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in the UK needs to come to an end.
For the first time in more than a decade, the leaders of Australia’s major political parties both publicly back a diplomatic intervention in the case, with Albanese saying “enough is enough” and Dutton agreeing it has “gone on too long”.
Albanese told journalists in the UK, where he is attending King Charles’ coronation, that the matter needed to be brought to a conclusion and he was continuing to raise it through diplomatic channels.
“There is nothing to be served by his ongoing incarceration. And I am concerned about Mr Assange’s mental health. There was a court decision here in the United Kingdom that was overturned on appeal that went to Mr Assange’s health as well and I am concerned for him,” Albanese said.
On Friday morning, the opposition leader backed that view.
“I think it’s gone on for too long. And I think that’s the fault of many people, including Mr Assange to be honest,” Dutton told ABC radio RN Breakfast.
“But the matters, I think, have to be dealt with. And if the prime minister is charting a course through to an outcome for that, then that is a good thing.”
A cross-section of Australian politicians have been raising the matter internally with their colleagues and with international counterparts for the last few years, rallying for Assange’s freedom. Nearly 50 federal parliamentarians have called on the US to drop its extradition bid.
While there have been private advances made on behalf of Assange, the leaders of the major parties have been reluctant to publicly call for his release until recently.
Albanese stated his position Assange should be freed from detention while opposition leader, a view he maintained when elevated to the prime ministership. Dutton had previously said the matter should play itself out without interference from Australia, with the official party line to “respect the legal processes”. That now appears to have changed.
Dutton’s bipartisanship had its limits though when it came to other domestic matters discussed on Friday morning.
While the opposition leader has been attempting to soften his image, he didn’t go as far as to call for a raise to working-age welfare payment rates, although he said “you want people to lead a dignified life”.
“You want people to have support, particularly if they have young children, particularly if they are single parents,” he said. “It is just a question of getting all of that right, in the context of … a lot of government debt, interest rates are up.”
Dutton told the ABC when it came to welfare, in the context of speculated changes to the single parent payment, “you need to get the balance right”.
Peter Dutton says he would bring back Work for the Dole if he were Prime Minister.
— 2GB Sydney (@2GB873) May 1, 2023
READ: https://t.co/gQ1ueEsvtt pic.twitter.com/DXL71YfXlA
Dutton said he had “a lot of sympathy” for people on fixed incomes, making note of the age pension, and remained in support of allowing pensioners to work extra hours if they choose, to boost their income without impacting their pension.
When it came to other payments, like jobseeker, Dutton said “you can understand there is a need for additional support” given the increased cost of living, but “it will be a question of whether that additional support leads to inflation, increases interest rates or keeps them higher for longer and people end up just paying with the other hand.”
