Subjects: Dunkley by-election; the Prime Minister’s cost of living crisis; Labor’s immigration detention shambles; Director-General’s statement on foreign interference; Nathan Conroy’s strong track record of delivering for Frankston – despite the Labor Party’s negative campaign of personal attacks.
E&OE.
SENATOR JANE HUME:
Good morning, everybody, and welcome to this beautiful morning here in Frankston.
I’m here today with our Leader, Peter Dutton, but also our candidate Nathan Conroy, and some fantastic Liberal supporters who have been out and about throughout Dunkley over the last two weeks. We’re now in the last couple of days of the Dunkley by-election.
It’s been such a pleasure to campaign alongside Nathan Conroy, who has been such a star candidate for the Liberal Party. Nathan has a fantastic migrant story to tell. He has a young family who’s here today – his wife Steffie and baby Callum. He’s been the Mayor three times of Frankston, elected by his peers, and he has a track record of delivering for Dunkley.
When we’ve been out and about in the community, it’s extraordinary the number of people that come up to him and shake his hand and say, ‘thank you for delivering this project’, ‘thank you for helping me out with that’. It’s been terrific to be with someone that is so well-known and so well-admired in his community.
Now, over the next two days, the people of Dunkley have a chance. They have a chance not just to send a message to the Labor Party, who have been ignoring their requests for help in this cost of living crisis, but also to acknowledge the work that Nathan has done delivering for his community and can continue to do so in Canberra.
So, with that, let me introduce you to our candidate for Dunkley, Nathan Conroy.
NATHAN CONROY:
Good morning, everyone. Thank you for coming down on this beautiful morning in Frankston. Thank you, Senator Jane Hume, and to our Leader, Peter Dutton, for coming down yet again.
I’ve been listening and talking to everyone throughout my electorate, be it Mount Eliza, Carrum Downs, Seaford or Langwarrin, and there’s four major issues: cost of living is a top priority, community infrastructure, housing, and crime.
Cost of living: people are choosing between bills and food. Food banks are at record levels. People from Mount Eliza, Frankston South and Carrum Downs, for the first time ever are now seeking the services of Foodbanks. When the Anthony Albanese Labor Government are spending $40 million advertising tax changes, they should be putting it into our most vulnerable, the food banks.
The next thing is housing. People are one mistake or one paycheque away from being homeless. Twelve interest rate rises under this Government, and with all at different taxes on the rental market, and it’s driving people to become homeless. This is due to the cost of living, inflation, and interest rates.
Then you have infrastructure. We have a crisis on infrastructure in Victoria. Albanese cut $3.9 billion from infrastructure in Victoria and hundreds of millions of dollars from Dunkley. We need more infrastructure, not less. We are planning for growth right now, and we need the infrastructure to connect families from Langwarrin and the Mornington Peninsula to Frankston and Melbourne.
The last thing is crime. Recent statistics – Bayside had a 33 per cent increase in crime over the last 12 months under this Government. People are sleeping with weapons next to themselves, and there’s a lady in Carrum Downs burgled twice in the last month, has just got a camera and she’s more nervous now waiting for that alert to ping on her phone. This shouldn’t happen in Australia in 2024.
This Anthony Albanese Government are doing nothing for infrastructure, cost of living, crime, and housing. There’s a crisis in all those four things, and tomorrow the people, the good people of Dunkley, are going to cast their ballot. They’re going to send a message to the Labor Government. They’re going to support me, I am going to be a champion. I’m going to fight for you. I am the underdog, but Australia loves an underdog, and I am going to come out hopefully as the next representative for Dunkley, because we need to put Frankston City and the Mornington Peninsula on the map. We need more infrastructure, reduce crime, people want a mortgage reduction. So, we need a strong economy with lower inflation.
I’m asking the people of Dunkley, the good people of Dunkley, to back an underdog, to be their next representative and take this fight to Canberra, because I fought for Frankston and I’ll deliver for Dunkley. Thank you very much.
PETER DUTTON:
Nathan, fantastic mate. It just demonstrates the enthusiasm that Nathan has for his local community. He’s served his community as Mayor, he’s done an incredible job here because he’s passionate about families, about helping people who are disadvantaged and the work that he does here, he wants to continue as the representative in Canberra.
Jane Hume, thank you very much for being here, and thank you to all of our volunteers right across the electorate who have done an amazing job speaking to people at the pre-polling booths. The race is only 24 hours or so to go until most people come out to vote.
There is a lot weighing up on people’s minds at the moment. They know that they can’t change the Government with their vote tomorrow, but they do know that they can send a message to a weak Prime Minister and a Prime Minister who has made decisions in two budgets, which has really made it hard for families. It’s made it incredibly difficult for people on fixed incomes, and there are a lot of families here in Dunkley, but across the country, who are struggling at the moment.
I think the people of Dunkley can send a message, not just on their own behalf, but on behalf of millions of Australians who don’t believe that this Prime Minister is up to the task and who believe that he has let them down. But there are many families who continue to struggle under the Albanese Government. The Prime Minister promised a reduction in electricity prices of $275. He promised it on 100 occasions, and people know that not only have they not got a cut to their electricity bills, but their electricity and gas bills continue to go up and up under this Government.
Now, there’s an opportunity, when people cast their vote here in the Dunkley by-election, to elect a local candidate, somebody who has a proven track record for delivering in their local community, and to take those skills and to fight for this local community in Canberra, and Nathan Conroy is that candidate.
I’m so pleased, Nathan, that you have stood up in public life in this day and age. There are a lot of pressures – social media, the character assassinations that you’ve seen from the Labor Party – but they’re doing that because they know how good a candidate you are, and they know how effective you would be as a local member. So, wear it is a badge of honour, but for most people in the Dunkley electorate, they are voting because they know that this is a bad Government. They know that after 18 months, there’s nobody here in this local community who’s better off than when Mr Albanese was first elected.
So, I think it’s a very important by-election, and we’re going to fight tooth and nail. I want to congratulate all of our local volunteers, who really desperately want a good candidate who can represent this wonderful community.
I’m happy to take any questions.
QUESTION:
Mr Dutton, should you have just waited to get final confirmation of what was happening with this incident in Melbourne before calling for the Immigration Minister’s sacking yesterday on the basis of charges that were withdrawn?
PETER DUTTON:
Well Mark, as you know, Minister Giles, when we asked him a question in Question Time first up, yesterday, about this incident – because there were media reports in relation to it – he confirmed that he’d been contacted by the police or by the authorities – so the police and border force, and he confirmed that the details that had been made public were as they’d been reported to him.
So, I think when you’re relying on advice from the police authorities, from a statement that had been issued, or from media reports that had been confirmed by the Minister responsible, I think it’s entirely reasonable that you would make the points that we made yesterday.
I guess the general point that we were making is that the Albanese Government’s released 149 people – hardened criminals – from immigration detention. These are non-citizens, people who should have been deported, and it includes people who have committed sexual assault, rapes, paedophiles who have been released into the community, and this hopeless Government has not even applied on one occasion, for one of those people to be returned to custody under the legislation that was passed to respond to the very issues that we’re concerned with.
So, I think the Prime Minister has failed at the first hurdle to keep Australians safe, and releasing these people into the community, demonstrates that I don’t think this Government takes the protection of our borders or the protection of the community seriously.
QUESTION:
Didn’t you jump the gun, though, on the whole issue?
PETER DUTTON:
Well, as I said, Simon, I’ll just refer you back to what I just said.
QUESTION:
Mr Dutton, Sussan Ley tweeted ‘if you live in Frankston and you’ve got a problem with Victorian women being assaulted by foreign criminals, vote against Labor’. Some have labelled that blatant racism and irresponsible. Do you stand by her comments?
PETER DUTTON:
Well, I suspect that’s the Labor Party that’s labelled it. The fact is that the Prime Minister has taken a decision, his Government’s taken the decision, to release 149 hardened criminals, including people who have poisoned Australians, including people who have raped and sexually assaulted children and women, people who have committed very serious crimes. They took a decision to release those people into the community. Those people, when I was the Immigration Minister or the Home Affairs Minister, they were behind bars, and if we were in government now, they would be behind bars. This Prime Minister has appointed somebody who was completely and utterly out of his depth.
So, if people here in Dunkley are worried about law and order issues, if you’re worried about crime, the last person you want to vote for is Anthony Albanese, because the Prime Minister spent his entire adult life arguing against strong border protection and strong measures in place under the Migration Act.
So, I think people can draw their own conclusions, but it’s clear that the Government has made the community less safe by releasing these people, and it’s obvious – as the Government’s confirmed – that a number of these people have already committed crimes, further crimes, when they’ve been out in the community.
QUESTION:
Mr Dutton, a couple of questions about this by-election. Obviously, it’s a big election for Nathan Conroy on your right, but it’s also a big election for you. I wonder what level of responsibility you will accept for the result – whichever way it goes – what does this mean for you? And secondly, I don’t think you going to turn too many votes or need to turn too many votes of the people in the Liberal t-shirts behind you. Will you be going out today to see average Dunkley voters?
PETER DUTTON:
Well Mark, this is my fifth visit, I think, it is to Dunkley. So, it’s great to be back with Nathan, and I genuinely want to thank all of our volunteers, because the union thugs who stand on polling booths often hurl a lot of abuse, including at women, who are wearing the blue t-shirts behind. So, I really want to thank them for persevering and for not taking the bait, because that’s exactly what the CFMEU and others, the ETU and other union reps want to do. So, I think that’s to be acknowledged.
It’s a 6.3 per cent margin, which is a very significant margin. I think that if there is a 3 per cent swing against the Government, particularly given there was an over 6 per cent swing to the Government in Aston only a matter of months ago, that would be a devastating result for the Prime Minister.
I do think it’s an opportunity for people to send a message to Mr Albanese that he’s not putting in place policies which are helping people. The policies that he’s implemented have actually hurt people: gas has gone up, electricity’s gone up, insurance premiums have gone up, groceries have gone up, and I can tell you, to answer the second part of your question, it’s a real issue. I’ve spoken to people here in the local community on each of my visits, and we’ll do that again today. But, I think people are hurting more than what we probably realise in the Canberra bubble, and I do think it’s great to see you and Simon out here in the community, because I think there are a lot of journalists in Canberra, frankly, who have no idea how much pressure families are under. That’s exactly what is being reported back on the phones, when we’re talking to people here locally. It’s exactly what Nathan has heard as he’s gone door to door, and, in Nathan, people have got somebody that they can relate to: he’s a father, he’s a Mayor, he’s somebody who’s worked in small business. He has rolled his sleeves up and fought for his local community, and that’s what he wants to do.
If he’s elected tomorrow, it will be a historic outcome, and it will send a very clear message to Mr Albanese that his weak Government is not providing for Australians at a time when they need their Prime Minister to stand up for them.
QUESTION:
I guess I’m saying though, you’re saying it’s about Anthony Albanese, how much of this is about you?
PETER DUTTON:
Well, again, I mean, people will make their judgements on different issues and people are motivated on different things when they go into the polling booths.
I think the predominant issue, as has been reported in all of the polling, but as is evidenced when we say to people, it’s cost of living and the cost of living crisis that Labor’s created is not being addressed by the Prime Minister. So, there’ll be that motivation.
Some people will vote because they thought the Prime Minister wasted $450 million on the Referendum, when he should have been spending more time thinking about how he could help people deal with the cost of living crisis here. But when he spent months and months overseas, people are angry with him because they thought that he probably should have got the house in order before he jumped on the plane, and the decisions that they’ve made in two budgets have hurt families, not helped them. That’s why, I think there’ll be a number of motivations for people to vote. I’ve noticed that my favourability numbers are better than Mr Albanese’s, and people have different motivations.
As I said before, one of the things in public life that sometimes we just let wash over us is the negative attacks and the personal attacks, and Nathan has copped that from day one because they know that he is a very effective candidate. They know that he would be a very effective local Member here, and I think there will be a lot of people who vote for Nathan Conroy tomorrow as well, which I won’t take any credit for, the Prime Minister won’t take any credit for, but Nathan is a person of his community. He’s a person of integrity. He’s a person who understands the plight of young families who, under this Government are paying $24,000 a year more for their mortgage. They’re not getting a reduction in their electricity prices as their Prime Minister promised them, and they want a local person who has a proven track record of delivering for the local community here. That is Nathan Conroy. So, I think people will be voting for him on that basis as well.
QUESTION:
Realistically, a 3 per cent swing would mean you wouldn’t win the seat. Is your strategy, though – given that the voters here could essentially go to a federal ballot box twice in one year in 12 months – to try and win this at a general election, should you be unsuccessful tomorrow?
PETER DUTTON:
Well, we’re here to win this race. That’s it. Nathan Conroy can win this race, but it’s tough, 6.3 per cent is a big margin. When you look historically at all the comparisons since the Second World War, a 3 per cent swing would be unprecedented in the scheme of things, and I think it’s a tall ask, there’s no question about that. But if we can do it, we can do it with Nathan Conroy, because he is a local warrior, he will fight for the local community, and people know that they can put their trust in him, and that’s why he’s done a great job.
QUESTION:
Mr Dutton, just on the ASIO revelations. Mike Burgess says that identifying the politician would risk sources and methods. Is that a sufficient reason to keep it secret?
PETER DUTTON:
Well, Mr Burgess, as I said yesterday, is as good as they come. I worked very closely with Mr Burgess when he was in his role in ASIO and I was Home Affairs Minister. So, of course I’m going to take his advice. If he doesn’t want to provide the name on that basis, then we take his advice.
The point that needs to be made, though, is that I just think we need to not lose sight of the issue that he’s talking about. That is foreign interference in our country. As we see in other democracies, the interference with a democratic process, the interference with the theft of intellectual property, so the unprecedented cyber attacks that Mr Burgess has spoken about, that’s what he’s dealing with on a daily basis, and as we know, particularly here in Victoria, the level of anti-Semitism that we’re seeing in the local community, that will be taking up a lot of time of the Director General as well.
So, he has a lot on his plate, and we’ve worked very closely with him, and have the highest respect for him. It’s difficult when these allegations are made because I think it casts a cloud over former MP’s, and that’s why I think if you can, you should name the person, but Mr Burgess has outlined why he can’t, and we accept that advice.
QUESTION:
Mr Dutton, you were probably the Minister at the time, and I’d imagine that it would have been a responsibility for you to be informed of this individual’s identity. Yesterday you suggested that it was a New South Wales Labor figure. Is that where you’re laying the blame?
PETER DUTTON:
I haven’t had a briefing as to who the individual is. The normal practice would be – and Mr Burgess can speak to this – but the normal practice would be, if there’s a problem within a particular Party, to speak to the Leader of the day. So, I don’t know whether that took place or not but…
QUESTION:
Were you alerted, though, to concerns about possibly or all corrupted MPs while you were Minister?
PETER DUTTON:
I’m not going into briefings that I had or didn’t have when I was Minister. I had a serious task as the Minister of Home Affairs, and I took it very seriously at the time, and I still do now. So, I don’t breach any of those conversations.
QUESTION:
So, are you saying you don’t know who it is?
PETER DUTTON:
Yes.
QUESTION:
Just a question for the candidate, is that okay?
PETER DUTTON:
Yeah.
QUESTION:
Mr Dutton referring to some personal attacks on you. Is that around questions around your employment? And just to clarify, I guess, what were you doing before you were at council?
NATHAN CONROY:
Yeah to clarify, I was proudly the general manager of Richmond Union Bowling Club at 24. And what you failed to mention is that I had record year on year profits and increased revenue by 30 per cent. I put that club into a position that they survived the lockdowns of COVID – people forget that. The personal attacks have been continuous from the day I announced that I was going to be the candidate for Dunkley. It doesn’t bother me. I wear it as a badge of honour, if that’s all they can attack me on, so be it. I am proud to be delivering for my community day in, day out, and I have done as Mayor of Frankston City over the last three years.
QUESTION:
There’s a professional attack though, from Paul Edbrooke, he says you’re a liar over council minutes that were put out between a meeting between yourself and Peta Murphy and Paul Edbrooke, around a project that involved gymnastics here in Frankston Council. What’s your response to Mr Edbrooke’s claims about your conduct as Mayor?
NATHAN CONROY:
Well, first of all, thank you so much, Simon. You’re a great journalist. What I will say, Simon, is I am proud and I have been from day one supporting Frankston Basketball and Gymnastics Stadium that will benefit thousands of young people right around our community, particularly women and girls. That was my focus from 2021 when we designed, costed and consulted that project and all we’ve done is actually increased the budget and increased the amount of courts that are available.
I’m proud to be delivering one of many projects, and that was one of many, and we just finished Jubilee Park Stadium, Eric Bell Reserve, Pat Rollo, Langwarrin Football Netball Club.
I am a Mayor and along with council that has delivered more infrastructure in the last three years then probably any council before us. I’m extremely proud to be investing in my community.
QUESTION:
So you didn’t change the understanding that Peta Murphy, yourself and Paul Edbrooke came to?
NATHAN CONROY:
Look, Peta Murphy was a wonderful advocate, she was a champion for our community, and she fully supported basketball and gymnastics stadium. But Simon, I’m not getting into the back and forth. What we have done is we have greenlit a $60 million redevelopment of the Frankston Basketball and Gymnastics Stadium, and I am extremely proud to be delivering from my community.
QUESTION:
Do you regret not, like, just saying that you were, like, managing the bowls club, not a multimillion dollar business, because that kind of gave Labor an opportunity to attack you?
NATHAN CONROY:
I’m proud to be the general manager. I was 24, and then after 24, I put them into a great standing, then became, or I studied and had a Masters of Business Administration, and then became a three term Mayor. I think that is a good enough credentials for anybody running, and first and foremost, it doesn’t matter about my past, what I focus on is a future vision of our community, and I’m going to deliver for Frankston. I have delivered for Frankston. I’ll deliver for Dunkley and I’ll take that fight to Canberra.
Thank you very much.
[ends]