Giving a speech to party faithful in Mount Waverley—located within the electorate of Chisholm, which was previously Coalition-held—the Liberal Party leader said if the party could win seats in Victoria, it could begin to get Australia “moving again.”
Dutton reiterated previous areas of focus for the Liberal-National Coalition, including health, housing, cost-of-living, public safety, Indigenous wellbeing, and controlling government spending.
But the opposition leader did not elaborate or provide new detail on policies, noting they would be released in the “days and weeks ahead.”
Dutton Highlights Past Achievements
Dutton began talking about his own backstory, while highlighting his achievements as immigration minister, such as removing all children from detention.“I resettled 4,000 vulnerable Yazidis—especially women and children—who have new lives in Australia, free from Islamic State’s barbarism,” Dutton said.
“Unlike the current government, we undertook thorough character and security checks.”
‘A Sliding Doors Moment’
Dutton accused Labor of prioritising the interests of “inner-city Greens voters, activists, and union bosses,” and that the national confidence had switched to “dispiritedness.”“Weak leaders create hard times—but strong leaders create better times,” Dutton said.
“And the next federal election is a sliding doors moment for our nation.
“A returned Labor government—in majority or minority—will see setbacks set in stone.”
Housing in Focus, Growing Businesses
The opposition leader reiterated a previous policy to impose a two-year ban on foreign investors purchasing existing homes in Australia, and cutting permanent migration by 25 percent for two years.Along with stricter caps on foreign students, Dutton says the party will free up the construction of 100,000 homes in five years.
Dutton says by unlocking developments, the party can get another 500,000 homes underway.
“An issue close to my heart is restoring the dream of home ownership,” he said.
“Entering the property market shouldn’t be limited to those who can rely on the bank of mum and dad.”
A day later on Jan. 13, Dutton told the Today Show that more needed to be done to stop capital flow away from Australia.
Guarantee Growth of Bulk Billing, Indigenous Wellbeing
The Coalition has also vowed to “guarantee” the growth of bulk billing at GP clinics, which Dutton says fell from 88 to 77 percent under Labor.While free GP services have decreased, the nation is also facing a shortfall of 8,000 doctors by 2031.
“A Coalition government will grow our GP workforce,” Dutton vowed.
The party leader said there would also be a strong focus on practical support for Indigenous Australians, including a focus on safety, health, education, and employment.
The Cashless Debit Card will also be re-introduced in areas where drugs are prevalent.
Labor Warns of Social Services Cuts
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has accused his opposition counterpart of “building a career on dividing people” and that he wanted to “bring the country together.”Responding to Dutton’s claims that things like student debt relief and power subsidies were helpful, but failed to address the root cause of cost of living, Albanese said it was not “a sugar hit.”
Albanese said the nation needed leadership “with a heart” and accused Dutton of “shifting to a hard right version of the Liberal Party.”
“We understand that people have done it tough with global inflation, and that’s why we provided cost of living relief, that’s why we provided additional dollars into every taxpayer’s pocket through our tax cuts for every taxpayer, energy bill relief, cheaper childcare, free TAFE, the tripling of the bulk-billing incentive for Medicare and the urgent care clinics,” he told ABC Melbourne.
Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth said Dutton’s speech lacked “new ideas.”
“When he talks about cutting government spending, what he’s talking about is cutting things like the pension, cutting energy bill relief, cutting Medicare.”
