'Gutter politics': Adam Bandt takes aim at Peter Dutton's Welcome to Country stance during fiery Q+A debate between MPs on frequency of the ceremonies
The fierce debate over Welcome to Country ceremonies sparked by booing and heckling at Melbourne's Dawn Service on Anzac Day has boiled over as two MPs traded barbs on ABC's Q+A.
The row between Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek and retiring Liberal MP Paul Fletcher erupted on Monday night when the Q+A panellists were asked about their stance on the ceremonies and whether they should be held at dawn services.
'What ideas does the panel have to resolve the issue amicably and in the interest of all parties concerned?' an audience member put to them.
Mr Fletcher said the country needs to recognise the 'distinctive place' of Indigenous Australians, but echoed Opposition Leader Peter Dutton's claim that too many Welcome to Country ceremonies are being held.
The Liberal MP was asked if the ritual was appropriate on Anzac Day, and his response triggered a fiery response from fellow panellists, including Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek.
'I think we need to respect the views of veterans because Anzac Day is about acknowledging the sacrifices that have been made by generations... so I think we need to give their views very significant meaning,' Mr Fletcher said.
The Environment Minister accused Mr Fletcher as 'speaking as though we don't have Indigenous veterans'.
Mr Fletcher fired back, calling her suggestion a 'real piece of strawman rhetoric'.
'I never suggested that for a second and I can tell you that the role of Indigenous people in defending Australia over many conflicts has been very significant,' he said.
Greens Leader Adam Bandt, who was also on the panel, pitched in, targeting the stance taken by the Opposition Leader that Anzac Day dawn ceremonies should not feature Welcome to Country ceremonies.
'It's just gutter politics from an Opposition Leader whose campaign is in free fall and he's starting to punch down,' Mr Bandt said, which garnered a round of applause from the audience.
Mr Bandt appeared to criticise Mr Dutton's timing too, with his comments being made only days after the controversial booing of the Welcome to Country by attendees of Melbourne's Anzac Day ceremony.
'He's playing from the Trump playbook as his campaign is in freefall, he is punching down, playing from the Trump playbook, and we're going to call him out,' Mr Bandt said.
The intense discussion follows the fourth and final leaders' debate on Sunday night, when the Opposition Leader said though he did not condone the booing at Melbourne's Anzac Day ceremony, he did say there is a "sense across the community' that the practice was 'overdone'.
'For the opening of Parliament, fair enough, it is respectful to do. But for the start of every meeting at work, or the start of a football game, Australians think it is overdone,' Mr Dutton said at the debate, hosted by Channel 7.
Mr Dutton said at a press conference on Monday that he thought Anzac Day dawn ceremonies did not warrant a Welcome to Country.
"It's ultimately a decision for the individual organisers of the events and they can make a decision based on their membership and what their board wants to do, I mean that's a decision for them and I respect that," Mr Dutton said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sydney Morning Herald
an hour ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Albanese may have a clear vision for Australia, but it's not clear to the rest of us
In Victoria last week, the prime minister was able to talk about one of his favourite topics: infrastructure. The North East Link Project would 'allow commuters to skip 18 sets of traffic lights and take 15,000 trucks off local roads.' Cutting through abstract economic debates, he declared, 'This is what productivity benefits look like, right here and now.' In Western Australia, he visited an Urgent Care Clinic: 'we promised 50, but delivered 87'. This is politics as Albanese often practises it: concrete, both literally and figuratively. It is concerned, above all, with tangible and demonstrable benefits. On both visits, he was asked about the defection of Senator Dorinda Cox from the Greens to Labor. Twice, with only slightly different wording, he explained that Cox had decided the Greens were 'not capable of achieving the change that she wants to see… if you're serious about social change in Australia, the Labor Party is where you should be.' Last week, the overwrought political debate continued around the government's proposed superannuation tax changes. Those changes are minor. The original impulse behind Australia's modern superannuation system was the opposite. One of that system's originators, former union leader Bill Kelty, three years ago described to journalist Jennifer Hewett how it all began, early in the Hawke government. 'Paul [Keating] said we gotta make up our mind what we are, and what we want to do with super.' They rejected various pathways – most notably, 'we don't want to be tinkerers or reformers'. Instead, they decided: 'We want to start a new system… We will be revolutionaries. We will change the system. But we will not tear down the existing system. We will build a new system.' Interestingly, Kelty's phrasing is almost directly the opposite of a phrase Albanese has come to like, and which he deployed two days before the election. Kelty said he and Keating decided to be revolutionaries, not reformers. Albanese said: 'I don't pretend to be a revolutionary. I'm a reformist'. Loading Which fits with Labor's proposed tax hike on the earnings of superannuation balances over $3 million. Remember we are talking about a rarefied set of Australians: in 2023, the Australian Financial Review, one of the loudest critics of the change, reported that earnings from such a balance would get you 'two luxury holidays a year, home renovations every five to 10 years and comprehensive health insurance'. This is definitely not revolution. So why all the fuss? Treasurer Jim Chalmers answered that last week. He did so, probably smartly, in fairly indirect language, as though trying to walk a line: clear enough to reach journalists listening, not so sharp as to draw more attention to the issue. In essence, he said three things. First, because the rich want to hang onto what they have. Second, because a couple of newspapers are obsessed – most people don't care.
The Age
an hour ago
- The Age
Albanese may have a clear vision for Australia, but it's not clear to the rest of us
In Victoria last week, the prime minister was able to talk about one of his favourite topics: infrastructure. The North East Link Project would 'allow commuters to skip 18 sets of traffic lights and take 15,000 trucks off local roads.' Cutting through abstract economic debates, he declared, 'This is what productivity benefits look like, right here and now.' In Western Australia, he visited an Urgent Care Clinic: 'we promised 50, but delivered 87'. This is politics as Albanese often practises it: concrete, both literally and figuratively. It is concerned, above all, with tangible and demonstrable benefits. On both visits, he was asked about the defection of Senator Dorinda Cox from the Greens to Labor. Twice, with only slightly different wording, he explained that Cox had decided the Greens were 'not capable of achieving the change that she wants to see… if you're serious about social change in Australia, the Labor Party is where you should be.' Last week, the overwrought political debate continued around the government's proposed superannuation tax changes. Those changes are minor. The original impulse behind Australia's modern superannuation system was the opposite. One of that system's originators, former union leader Bill Kelty, three years ago described to journalist Jennifer Hewett how it all began, early in the Hawke government. 'Paul [Keating] said we gotta make up our mind what we are, and what we want to do with super.' They rejected various pathways – most notably, 'we don't want to be tinkerers or reformers'. Instead, they decided: 'We want to start a new system… We will be revolutionaries. We will change the system. But we will not tear down the existing system. We will build a new system.' Interestingly, Kelty's phrasing is almost directly the opposite of a phrase Albanese has come to like, and which he deployed two days before the election. Kelty said he and Keating decided to be revolutionaries, not reformers. Albanese said: 'I don't pretend to be a revolutionary. I'm a reformist'. Loading Which fits with Labor's proposed tax hike on the earnings of superannuation balances over $3 million. Remember we are talking about a rarefied set of Australians: in 2023, the Australian Financial Review, one of the loudest critics of the change, reported that earnings from such a balance would get you 'two luxury holidays a year, home renovations every five to 10 years and comprehensive health insurance'. This is definitely not revolution. So why all the fuss? Treasurer Jim Chalmers answered that last week. He did so, probably smartly, in fairly indirect language, as though trying to walk a line: clear enough to reach journalists listening, not so sharp as to draw more attention to the issue. In essence, he said three things. First, because the rich want to hang onto what they have. Second, because a couple of newspapers are obsessed – most people don't care.
Perth Now
3 hours ago
- Perth Now
Early election looms as state leaders trade blame
A state election is inching closer as an embattled premier refuses to stand down to spare voters the pain of returning to the polls. Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff is preparing to call an early election as soon as Tuesday after narrowly losing a no-confidence motion in state parliament. The state Liberal leader could have stood aside or been removed to allow his party to continue to govern in minority with crossbench support. But he is forging ahead with plans to recall parliament on Tuesday to pass a bill to ensure government workers can keep getting paid, before asking Governor Barbara Baker to call an election. She could approve his request or ask another Liberal MP or Labor leader Dean Winter to try to form minority government. Mr Rockliff said an election date would likely be set this week and confirmed he would lead the party to the poll. "Dean Winter's guaranteed the election," he told reporters on Sunday. Tasmanians were sent to the ballot box for a state election as recently as March 2024 and another would mark the fourth in seven years. The unofficial election campaign has already kicked off, with Mr Rockliff revealing former federal MP Bridget Archer will run for Liberal preselection in the state seat of Bass. Mr Rockliff also confirmed the Liberals would not pull a previous pledge to introduce a five per cent levy on short-stay rentals, including Airbnb listings. The levy would partially offset the cost of waiving stamp duty for first-time buyers purchasing homes worth up to $750,000. Mr Winter is sticking to his guns in ruling out forming government with the Greens, without whom Labor doesn't have the numbers. He has defended bringing forward the no-confidence motion over the state budget, privatisation concerns and the Spirit of Tasmania ferry debacle, and doubled down on calls for Mr Rockliff to resign. "He's carrying on at the moment like a spoiled child that's been given out in a game of cricket," Mr Winter said. "And then instead of just accepting the umpire's decision he's picking up his bat and ball and going home."
