The son of Opposition Leader and former Queensland cop Peter Dutton has made national headlines after a photo of the 18-year-old circulated online of Tom Dutton holding a bag of ‘white powder’.
PEDESTRIAN.TV is not suggesting the ‘white powder’ is an illicit substance.
In the photo, Tom Dutton can be seen staring directly into the camera, wearing a white t-shirt and holding a small zip-lock bag of an unnamed white powder while at an apartment in Surfer’s Paradise.
“Birthday day treat,” reads the photo’s caption, followed by: “Hello how u goin.”
The image of the Liberal leader’s son was first shared by The Daily Telegraph, which reportedly obtained it after a friend of the 18-year-old shared it to Snapchat, then deleted it. However, in the brief time it was live, it was saved and shared by others online.
In response to the headlines around the story, Peter Dutton’s office released a one-sentence statement.
“This is a private matter for the Dutton family,” it said.
Politicians react to Dutton’s son ‘white powder’ photo
The controversy surrounding the photo has led to various MPs from both sides of Parliament highlighting how the children of politicians should not be held to the same level of scrutiny as their parents.
While speaking to Karl Stefanovic on Today, Labor MP Tanya Plibersek refused to comment on the controversial photo.
“I’ve got no comment at all. Peter Dutton’s a public figure, but his son’s not,” said Plibersek.
Liberal Senator Hollie Hughes told Sky News that The Daily Telegraph‘s decision to publish the photo was appalling.
“I think it’s journalism at its grubbiest. The one thing about politicians is our families should be off limits,” Hughes slammed.
“I’ve got teenage children. I would never want them to go through something like this, it’s just grubby, and I think Peter’s right it’s a matter for the family.”
On the same program, Labor MP Daniel Mulino agreed that invading the privacy of politicians’ families is a line “we don’t cross”.
“My arguments are with Peter Dutton’s policies, and I won’t go beyond that and comment on anything else,” Mulino told the publication.
Unlike the Liberal leader before him, Dutton has kept his family relatively out of the spotlight, with a few notable exceptions.
In 2019 a fluff-piece was published to boost Dutton’s image as a family man, in which his wife Kirilly Dutton said that her husband is “not a monster“.
Remember that time they had to run a magazine article telling people Peter Dutton was not an actual monster? pic.twitter.com/mepNEFq8TU
— Foxy, yes that Foxy (@FoxyLustyGrover) May 2, 2022
Last year, while on ABC’s program Kitchen Cabinet with Annabel Crabb, Dutton also spoke about his family briefly, in which he referred to one of his daughters as the “best mistake” he ever made.
His most recent mistake? Pushing for Australia to build seven nuclear reactors as his main policy in the next election — which every expert and their dog has roasted.
[Image: The Daily Telegraph / Getty]
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