- Peter Dutton urged to ban Gaza refugees from Australia
- Independent MP Zali Steggall criticised him as a ‘racist’
Teal MP Zali Steggell has criticised Peter Dutton as a “racist” over his call to ban Palestinians fleeing war-torn Gaza to Australia.
The opposition leader told Sky News on Wednesday that there is uncertainty about Gaza refugees and their loyalty to the Palestinian terror group Hamas.
“I don’t think people should be coming out of that war zone at all at this time. It’s not wise to do that and I think it jeopardizes our national security,” Mr Dutton said.
On the floor of the House of Representatives on Thursday, Ms Steggall – who represents Warringah Sydney‘s northern beaches – accused Mr Dutton of portraying all Palestinians as terrorists.
“These are families that you are trying to portray… as if they are all terrorists, that they are all to be mistrusted and that they have no right to humanitarian aid,” she said.
“Stop being racist.”
Mr Dutton called the comment “unparliamentary” and called for it to be withdrawn.
Peter Dutton does not believe Palestinians fleeing Gaza will be allowed into Australia for security reasons
Ms Steggall protested: ‘A description of language as racist is an unparliamentary remark?’
But she subsequently complied with the President’s request to withdraw her comments.
Mr Dutton defended his comments later on Thursday, telling Today Show host Karl Stefanovic that he was trying to protect Australians.
Stefanovic asked: ‘Are you heartless, a heartless racist? Do you have any humanity left?’
Mr Dutton replied: ‘I think we should just put all the usual political nonsense aside.’
“We have to make decisions, and they may be difficult decisions, but they are decisions that are in the best interest of our country.”
“What happened here, Karl, is that the government took people out of a war zone. In some cases, they didn’t even do personal interviews, and that’s unprecedented.”
He compared the situation to the idea of allowing Al Qaeda and ISIS sympathizers into the country.
Independent MP Zali Steggall (pictured in the House of Representatives on Thursday) called Mr Dutton ‘racist’
“The government is trying to patch this up, but they’re putting our country at risk. We can deal with people in a measured, responsible way, that’s not what they’ve done,” he said.
When asked if he had discussed his position with his colleagues beforehand, Mr Dutton replied: ‘It’s not a discussion for the shadow cabinet, quite frankly, it’s a discussion with the national security team.’
“It is in the interest of our country.”
ASIO chief Mike Burgess and Home Office officials have repeatedly stated that appropriate security checks are carried out on visa applicants.
About 1,200 Israelis were killed when Hamas launched an attack on October 7 and nearly 40,000 Palestinians were killed by the Israeli counterattack in Gaza.
The Australian government has called for a ceasefire as the death toll rises and the humanitarian situation deteriorates.