Peter Dutton has ruled out asking for Scott Morrison’s resignation after damning findings in the botched robodebt plan were handed over, complaining about the report’s “politicization”.
The Liberal Party leader was greeted with a standing ovation as he addressed party allegiance at the LNP State Conference in Brisbane over the weekend.
During his speech, Mr Dutton accused the incumbent government of leading the country ‘down the path of division’ with the upcoming Voice to Parliament referendum.
“We need practical action,” he told thousands of supporters.
“We are proposing a path of unity, achieved first by the Prime Minister relinquishing what he sees as his moment in history.”
Opposition leader Peter Dutton has ruled out asking Scott Morrison to resign over the robodebt scandal
But the conference was overshadowed by a blood-curdling week for the party, after three former Liberal ministers and a sitting MP were criticized in the Royal Commission’s findings on the robodebt scheme.
Commissioner Catherine Holmes SC, a former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Queensland, found that former Prime Minister and MPs Stuart Robert, Alan Tudge and Christian Porter were all responsible for some aspect of the failed $750 million debt recovery programme.
It was branded a “crude and cruel mechanism” that made people feel like “criminals.”
Commissioner Holmes found that Mr Morrison had failed to fulfill his ministerial responsibilities in his then capacity as Minister for Social Affairs by revealing what robodebt actually entailed.
Commissioner Catherine Holmes SC found that Mr Morrison (pictured) had failed to fulfill his ministerial responsibilities in his capacity as Social Affairs Minister at the time
But mr. Dutton seemed to suggest that Mr. Morrison should go on to shake it off, instead warning Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Government Services Minister Bill Shorten against their “glee” and politicization of the findings.
Instead, he pointed to statements made by Mr Morrison and the other ministers at the time the findings were handed over.
“When the issues were brought to the attention of the government at the time, the program was shut down,” Dutton told reporters.
“I’m sorry for those people who are disadvantaged, I really am.”
The illegitimate scheme, which ran from 2015 to 2019 under the former coalition government, was set up to collect alleged Centrelink debts using an automated system to match people’s tax and Centrelink data.
Hundreds of thousands of Australians were unfairly stabbed by the program.
Mr Dutton has accused the Labor Party of ‘politicizing’ the report in the botched robodebt scheme
On Saturday, Mr Dutton said Mr Shorten’s attempts to politicize the findings had been taken up in federal parliament, including “inappropriate” statements he had made about the Royal Commission.
“He’s gone really close to the line, if not off the line,” Mr Dutton said.
“He has seen political advantage in this situation, there is no doubt about that.”
Dutton told reporters his party would consider the “serious” recommendations, including how departments provided information to ministers.
He also focused on the timing of the report, the tome landing in Queensland’s Fadden seat a week before a by-election.
The Liberal Party hopes to keep the crucial seat after Robert’s resignation.
“I think the people of Fadden are much smarter than that – they’ve seen the personal defamation against (Liberal candidate) Cameron Caldwell, they’ve seen the political advantage in the timing of the release of this report,” Mr Dutton said.
“They’re not stupid, they’ll see.”
A defiant Mr Morrison, who is on holiday abroad with his family, said in a statement on Friday that he “rejected the findings critical of my involvement in approving the scheme and which are unfavorable to me.”
“They are wrong, unsubstantiated and contradicted by clear documentary evidence presented to the Commission,” he said.