Peter Dutton has dismissed the treasurer and prime minister labelling him “divisive”, saying the pair want to focus on anything but their failure to manage the economy.
Dutton suggested Jim Chalmers’ description of him as “the most divisive leader of a major political party in Australia’s modern history – and not by accident, by choice”, in a speech on Monday, was really about leadership unrest inside the government.
“If Australians were doing it so well, and the economy was running as great as Jim Chalmers claims it is, why is he dedicating his speech to me?” Dutton said in response to journalists’ questions on Tuesday. “It shows the dynamic that’s going on in the Labor party at the moment because this is a government where the wheels are falling off.”
Earlier on Tuesday, Anthony Albanese described Dutton as a “reverse thrust on the economy” as the Coalition seized on results in the Guardian Essential poll to argue Dutton’s focus on national security and immigration had significant public support.
The prime minister endorsed Chalmers’ description of Dutton as divisive and “dangerous”.
“Peter Dutton has promoted division his entire political career,” Albanese said at a news conference at the under-construction western Sydney airport. “He always looks for what will divide Australians rather than what will bring Australians together … unlike what will happen at this airport, he’ll be a reverse thrust on the economy. He will stifle the economy.”
The Nationals leader, David Littleproud, accused Albanese of “character assassination”, which he said was “not prime ministerial”.
“The only person to divide this country is Anthony Albanese, with his $450m voice referendum that divided the country and failed,” Littleproud told Sky News on Tuesday. “So, I mean, that’s pure old politics from the prime minister.”
Littleproud said the opposition had been setting policy agenda in Australia for the past 12 months, not the government.
The shadow home affairs minister, James Paterson, also criticised Labor’s targeting of Dutton.
“I don’t think these character led attacks from the Labor party work,” Paterson told 2GB radio. “I don’t think Jim Chalmers is a credible assassin on those issues. I don’t think it persuades Australians. I think people know that Peter is a person of substance and seriousness who cares about community safety.”
Chalmers made his remarks in the 2024 Curtin Oration in Melbourne on Monday night. He criticised Dutton for devoting every question during the past two weeks of parliamentary sittings to condemn the issuing of visas to people from Gaza and none to the cost of living.
“He wants to start a culture war because he has no idea how to finish the fight against inflation,” Chalmers said in the address. “He picks fights and stokes division on national security because he’s got no idea about economics.”
Paterson pointed to the results of the Essential poll, published on Tuesday, which found more Australians support Dutton’s call for a temporary pause on issuing visas to people from Gaza than oppose it.
The poll found 44% of respondents agreed with Dutton’s call for a pause, 30% opposed it and 26% were undecided.
“So on a question where Peter Dutton is demonised as a racist and other things, the Australian people stand with him,” Paterson said.
The shadow treasurer, Angus Taylor, told Canberra radio 2CC on Tuesday that Chalmers had run out of ideas.
“Frankly, they’re taking the wrong approach to fighting inflation,” Taylor said. “They’ve given up. It’s not working. And so now they’re fighting personality.”
