Opposition Leader Peter Dutton maintains his stance on using government intervention to curb rising insurance premiums, despite National Party Leader David Littleproud backtracking on the policy proposal. The Coalition's internal disagreement highlights the growing public concern over soaring insurance costs and the potential for political maneuvering in addressing the issue.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton defended his threat to intervene in the insurance industry, despite National Party Leader David Littleproud backtracking on the proposal. Dutton, during a press conference on Monday, clarified that he was putting the insurance sector 'on notice' rather than committing to a specific policy. 'I expect them to bring down insurance premiums significantly by the time we form a government and if they don't then I will deal with the industry afterwards,' he said.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers criticized Dutton's 'so-called policy,' stating that it did not last 24 hours. He pointed out the lack of a policy on insurance sector divestiture powers from any major party, highlighting David Littleproud's apparent shift in stance. Labor MP Sam Rae also joined the criticism, calling Dutton's 'intervention' threat a 'dishonest media play.'National Party Leader David Littleproud appeared to backtrack on the divestiture power policy during an interview with ABC Radio National on Monday. 'It’s not a policy… What Peter Dutton has said (is) we are prepared to use whatever policy lever we need,' Littleproud stated. Dutton, however, later clarified that his initial comments were more of a warning than a policy announcement. 'I want to send a very strong message that where the insurance industry should have its focus at the moment is how to help Australians,' he said. Asked if he had discussed the idea with the Coalition party room following his deputy leader's comments, Dutton declined to comment. 'I'm not going into internal processes but the Liberal Party believes in a free market. But the free market is failing at the moment,' he said. 'If we have a situation where people have been priced out of insurance or they're deemed an uninsurable risk, when they shouldn't be, that is a failure of the market.' The issue of rising insurance premiums has become a significant concern for Australians, with premiums increasing by more than 50 percent since 2020.
INSURANCE PREMIUMS GOVERNMENT INTERVENTION COALITION PETER DUTTON DAVID LITTLEPROUD AUSTRALIA
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