A left-wing political commentator has accused Peter Dutton of using his controversial announcement about not displaying the Aboriginal flag as a smokescreen to distract from the Liberal Party’s woes.
The opposition leader announced on Monday that if he is elected prime minister next year, he will only display the Australian flag at press conferences.
Anthony Albanese has displayed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags alongside the Australian flag at press time since becoming Prime Minister in 2022.
Only the Australian flag was displayed before Albanese secured the top spot.
But Dutton told Sky News on Monday that displaying three flags “unnecessarily divides our country”.
Now former Guardian Australia political reporter Amy Remeikis has blasted Mr Dutton, claiming no one in the mainstream media is holding him to account or calling him out for “what he so clearly does”.
“Besides just being the worst, racist culture war bulls***, it doesn’t actually do anything to make people’s lives better, but it certainly makes some people’s lives a lot harder than they need to be in this country,” she said . .
Ms Remeikis, who now works as chief political analyst at the left-wing think tank the Australian Institute, claimed it was a tried and tested tactic by Mr Dutton.
Former Guardian Australia political reporter Amy Remeikis (pictured) has accused Peter Dutton of using his controversial announcement about not displaying the Aboriginal flag as a smokescreen to distract from the Liberal Party’s woes.
Opposition leader Peter Dutton (photo) announced on Monday that if he is elected prime minister next year, he will only display the Australian flag at press conferences.
“Every time there’s a true story, he throws a little culture war grenade to distract everyone,” she said.
‘And there are several reasons why he needs a distraction. He has backed away from his migration austerity policies, which were one of the few other policies he has proposed during this term.
“He’s going to make a joke about nuclear cost day, because we already know it’s going to be too expensive.
“He has Paul Fletcher, a leading Liberal frontbencher, announcing he is retiring at the next election.”
Dutton announced on Sunday that the Liberal Party would not set a net migration target until after the election, despite earlier promises to nearly halve inflows to 160,000 a year.
Ms Remeikis said Mr Fletcher – who, while playing a key role in the party, was hardly a household name – was retiring because he was likely to lose to an independent party at the next election.
She further alleged that Mr Dutton had used similar diversionary tactics in the past, namely by announcing that the Liberal Party would vote No in the ballot referendum following Aston’s by-election loss last year, and by touting his controversial nuclear policy announce after losing the Dunkley elections. by-elections in March this year.
“Every time Peter Dutton needs a ‘look over there’ moment, he comes up with some bulls*** distraction just like this,” Ms Remeikis added.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Mr Dutton’s office for comment.
Albanese’s decision to display the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags alongside the Australian flag at press conferences was made without any fuss.
“We didn’t make a fuss, we didn’t put out a press release… we just did it,” Albanese said at the time, before his government’s failed Voice to Parliament referendum.
“We have flags that represent our entire nation. It’s an opportunity to talk about our full history.”
However, Mr Dutton flagged the move this week, revealing he would never address the nation with both the Australian and Indigenous flags behind him, arguing it sent a confusing message.
“I strongly believe that we are a country united under one flag, and when we ask people to identify with different flags, no other country does that, and we divide our country unnecessarily,” he told Sky. News.
“We must respect the Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander flags, but they are not our national flags.”
Mr Dutton also slammed Mr Albanese for sending “a very confusing message” to Australians about the country’s values and celebrating Australia Day.
Anthony Albanese (pictured) has displayed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags alongside the Australian flag at press conferences since becoming Prime Minister in 2022
He branded Albanese “the weakest prime minister” in Australia’s history and claimed Australians should celebrate the national day under “one flag”.
“The Prime Minister is not calling out Woolworths or calling out the pubs that don’t want to celebrate Australia,” Dutton said.
“He wants to be all things to all people, and that is why people rightly regard him as the weakest prime minister we have had in the history of our country.
‘I think it’s a fact that we have to stand up for who we are, for our values, what we believe in.
“We are united as a country when we come together under one flag, and that is what we should do on Australia Day.”
More than 90 percent of Daily Mail Australia readers agreed with Mr Dutton that displaying three flags “unnecessarily divided our country”.