By Cam Lucadou-Wells
Federal Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has told a Dandenong event that his compassion as a former Immigration and Home Affairs Minister had been ignored by the media.
“Yes we have to make tough decisions,” Mr Dutton told a ‘multicultural morning tea community event’ with La Trobe MP Jason Wood at Victorian Tamil Community Centre on 30 August.
“But working with many community leaders here in Victoria … and right around the country we were able to help in many cases where we needed to apply compassion.”
These cases included “special circumstances” particularly where women and young children were at risk, Mr Dutton said.
“Those cases were never reported – never reported – but I’m very proud of the fact that we have been able to make Australia home for countless people.”
While the previous Defence Minister, the government evacuated 4000 people from Afghanistan’s capital Kabul after the Taliban took over the country last year, he said.
Mr Dutton also noted Australia welcoming evacuees from Ukraine over recent months.
“There is more, much more that a country like ours can do and always will need to do, because it’s an uncertain world, as we see in the Ukraine.”
He would work closely with the current government in a bi-partisan way to “support good decisions that they’re making for people from war-torn countries”.
At the event, Mr Dutton told the diverse community leaders he was on a “recruiting drive” for “more diversity” in the Liberal Party at a local, state and federal level.
He wanted Federal Parliament to be “more representative” of the range of communities in Victoria.
“I want to see more multicultural faces in those positions of authority and leadership because your communities demand it and you have skills we require.
“Your country will be the better for it if you were sitting amongst us in the Federal Parliament.”
Mr Dutton also outlined his priorities as part of reshaping Liberal policy ahead of the 2025 election.
First was for his front and back benchers to listen to “your views” and understand the “concerns you have in your community”.
Others were the welfare of aged care residents from non-English-speaking backgrounds, and support for small business start-ups.
Mr Dutton also said it was important for Australia to support “our friends in the region and around the world” – to “support those who support us”.
“Australia is a respected country and people have made the decision for hundreds of years to make Australia home.
“We want to make it a welcoming place for many more over the next generation.”
In response to the event, Bruce Labor MP Julian Hill labelled the Liberals a “sick joke” and said “Dutton can bugger off from Dandenong and not come back”.
“I don’t know whether to laugh or cry at Peter Dutton in Dandenong now sucking up to multicultural communities and pretending to care.
“Peter Dutton and the Liberals implemented blatantly racist and discriminatory visa policies hurting thousands of Australians and their loved ones.”
Mr Hill said Mr Dutton closed the immigration office in Dandenong and “refused to even meet with the community when he was the Minister”.
The previous government “broke Australia’s visa system with nearly one million backlogged applications when they left office”, Mr Hill said.
“Peter Dutton and the Liberals condemned hundreds of thousands of Australians to years separated from their husbands, wives, children and those they love and cruel citizenship delays.
“The Liberals are a sick joke and should apologise for the mess they made.”
