ANALYSIS: Peter Dutton has sent the new government a message. He would hold its feet to the fire from the start. Rather than wallow in defeat, he outlined a path back to power, one that would focus on the suburbs, the regions and small business.
For more than 1000 days, as Labor constantly pointed out, the Morrison government dragged its feet on the establishment of a federal anti-corruption commission.On day one of his leadership, Peter Dutton not only embraced the concept of a federal ICAC, he gave tacit support to a most robust model that had long been proposed by rural independent MPNot only was Dutton spruiking a federal anti-corruption commission, but one that, given the misgivings of some in Labor over how hard to go, may have more teeth than incoming attorney-general Mark Dreyfus will propose.
While Labor used the sports rorts and various other sins of the Morrison government to build support for its proposal, Dutton was explicit. The new body should investigate Labor’s links with the CFMEU and other militant unions.Dutton was sending the new government a message. He would hold its feet to the fire from the very beginning. Just as he accused Anthony Albanese on Friday of breaking his first promise by stopping short of advocating a 5.1 per cent wage rise when the new Prime Minister wrote to the Fair Work Commission.first but important step . Rather than wallow in defeat, he outlined to his demoralised colleagues a path back to power, one that would focus on the suburbs, the regions and small business. Big business was no longer a friend of the Liberal Party, said Dutton, accusing them of spending more time talking about climate change and social issues than advocating for economic and industrial relations reform.The blue ribbon seats lost to the teals would not be abandoned, but the focus for the Liberal Party would very much be the working and middle classes, Menzies’ “forgotten people”, he said. These people, he said, were the ones struggling to fill up their cars, not those who presumably turned against the party in the teal seats. “They can do it,” he said of their ability to cope with $2.10-per-litre-pump prices.“[But] in many of the areas we represent, in the suburbs, regional communities, people are putting $20 and $40 in their car because they can’t afford to fill it up. Similar with electricity bills.” Along with new Nationals’ leader David Littleproud there would be no rubber-stamping of Labor’s climate change policy. That would put Labor at the mercy of the Greens in the Senate who want to push Labor to go harder. And, in a pop at Scott Morrison, the Coalition under him would not be Labor-lite. He is not afraid of a philosophical fight and will take an agenda to the next election giving voters a clear choice. Dutton, in his dismissal of big business and the teal voters, may be missing the zeitgeist, but he, like Albanese, is a person of conviction, and that should never be underestimated. He is more like John Howard than Morrison ever was.Not a moment’s rest for the new government, is his aim. is the political editor based in Canberra. He is a two-time winner of the Paul Lyneham award for press gallery excellence.
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