Australia: Peter Dutton, "a tough guy", at the head of the conservative opposition
Peter Dutton, leader of the Australian Conservative opposition in December 2021. AFP - LUKAS COCH
Text by: RFI Follow
3 mins
Former Defense Minister Peter Dutton, a hard-liner among the Conservatives, was elected on Monday May 30 as the new leader of the Australian Liberal Party, which went into opposition after its rout in the May 21 legislative elections against to the Labor Party.
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Peter Dutton, who faced no rivals for the leadership of the party, promised to get the party back on track for the next election in 2025, and to prepare a plan to "
clean up the inevitable mess Labor will leave
".
Before that, this former policeman who is very marked on the right and a follower of strong declarations will mainly have the task of restoring unity within the Liberal Party.
A formation deeply divided between moderates and hard-line conservatives, the main bone of contention being the policy to adopt on climate change.
Monday, May 30, Peter Dutton, 51, said he was "
convinced
" of the need for Australia to provide an "
appropriate response
" to reducing emissions.
Under previous Conservative governments, he notably held the portfolios of Immigration and Home Affairs.
On the day of the legislative elections, he tweeted a press release from the immigration services on the interception of a boat of asylum seekers.
"
Don't take a national security risk with Labour
," he said.
Chinese ambitions compared to Nazi expansionism
While serving as defense minister under previous Prime Minister Scott Morrison, he compared Chinese President Xi Jinping 's
geopolitical ambitions in the Asia-Pacific to Nazi expansionism in the 1930s.
is to prepare for war
," he said at the time.
On Monday, he said again that "
the China issue under President Xi will be the biggest problem our country will face in our lifetime
."
When he was immigration minister,
he sparked outrage
by saying that most refugees wanting to enter Australia can't read, write or count "
which is a problem
".
The Minister had also argued that some asylum seekers who claimed to have been raped in detention camps outside Australia were "trying" to have abortions on the continent.
Since their failure in the elections, Peter Dutton and his Liberal Party allies have tried to erase his very right inking.
More reliable than Scott Morrison...
The new opposition leader said on Monday that his policies would be "
clearly aimed at forgotten Australians, in the suburbs, across Australia
".
He also expressed regret over his decision a few years ago to boycott the 2008 national apology to Aboriginal people forcibly removed from their families.
Former Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who left the leadership of the Liberal Party after his election failure, offered his "unreserved support" to Peter Dutton on Monday.
The new Leader of the Opposition justified himself by saying that at the time he thought that “
apologies should be made when the problems are solved, and the problems are not solved
”.
Last week, new
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese
praised Peter Dutton as more reliable than Mr Morrison.
“
Peter Dutton never betrayed the trust I placed in him
,” he said.
(with AFP)
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