Labor has seized on the Dutton revelations, with Labor senator Murray Watt claiming Mr Dutton had “sold out his constituents” by not staying in his Dickson electorate to fill his pockets with millionaire’s money.
But it’s now emerged that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese may have attended a fundraiser on the same day. He flew up to Brisbane ahead of the cyclone to hold talks with emergency services personnel.
Speaking on Sunrise, Deputy Liberal leader Sussan Ley said fresh reports in the Australian Financial Review that the Prime Minister attended a fundraiser himself was “rank hypocrisy”.
“Very interesting, a story in today’s ‘Financial Review’ which indicates that your Prime Minister was at a fundraiser in Sydney on the same day. I think maybe this is rank hypocrisy from you and your team,’’ she said.
“I don’t think he left his own community who were filling up sandbags to fly to Sydney to fill up money bags at a billionaire’s mansion,’’ Labor frontbencher Jason Clare shot back.
Anthony Albanese is refusing to disclose whether he also attended a Labor fundraiser on the same day Peter Dutton jetted to Sydney as Cyclone Alfred loomed for a function. Picture: Newswire/Nikki Short
At a press conference in Perth on Thursday, the Prime Minister refused to weigh in on the reports.
“On Peter Dutton’s movements, it’s been well reported that he was a political fundraiser in Sydney on March 4. Did you also attend a fundraising event on that day?,” a journalist asked.
“Look, that’s a matter for him,” Mr Albanese replied.
“That’s a matter for you, Prime Minister. It’s a matter of whether you attended a fundraising event or not,” the journalist hit back.
“That’s a matter for him. I’m not sure what day you’re talking about,” Mr Albanese responded.
News.com.au has contacted the Prime Minister’s office for comment.
Deputy Liberal leader Sussan Ley (left) said fresh reports that the PM attended a fundraiser himself was “rank hypocrisy”. Labor frontbencher Jason Clare (right) hit back at the accusation. Picture: Sunrise
How Mr Dutton’s controversial trip unfolded
The Liberal leader was in Brisbane on March 4 – four days before the storm hit mainland – where he gave a press conference at Queensland’s emergency services HQ in Kedron about Cyclone Alfred.
But he then left the HQ before 9am to catch a flight to Sydney for the fundraiser and a meeting with a Sydney-based Archbishop.
After the controversy broke, he then did not conduct any press interviews or respond to questions for a few days before surfacing in Brisbane on Sunday.
A spokesman defended the plane trip on the grounds he had other events in Sydney at the same time, including talks with a Greek Orthodox Archbishop, and said the travel was within the rules.
Peter Dutton was heavily criticised by Labor for leaving Brisbane to attend a $25,000-a-head fundrasier at billionaire Justin Hemme’s Sydney mansion. Hemmes pictured with Madeline Holtznagel above. Picture: Graham Denholm/ Getty Images
Liberal fundraiser with billionaire ‘not a party’
Mr Dutton defended the trip as no different to the fundraisers Mr Albanese would also be attending around Australia.
“Peter, I’m going to ask you, you came under some criticism for going to a Justin Hemmes party last week, leaving Queensland. Why did you go to that?” Sky News host Peter Stefanovic asked on Monday.
“Well, Pete, it wasn’t a party. It was a fundraising dinner, and the Prime Minister and I are doing them around the country at the moment,” he said.
“I’d received a briefing in the morning, went down. I had diary commitments, including lunch with an Archbishop and a number of meetings otherwise in Sydney.
“I flew home on the first flight on Wednesday morning, back into my electorate, and the event obviously hadn’t started by then, didn’t start until Friday.
“So, I think people who are using that for political advantage in the time of a natural disaster, frankly, that’s a poorer reflection on them than it is on me, and I think people recognise that.”
Last week, a spokesman for Mr Dutton said all of the travel was within the rules.
But Treasurer Jim Chalmers – who was also at Kedron for the cyclone briefing last week – said Mr Dutton’s actions would be “disappointing if true”.
“That’s for Peter Dutton to explain,” Mr Chalmers told Brisbane’s 4BC radio.
“I went to that briefing on Tuesday at Kedron, and he was leaving as I was arriving.
“I’m not sure if he was off to Sydney to do a fundraiser. That’s for him to explain.”
Dutton defended his actions, saying both himself and the PM were attending fundraising dinners “around the country”. Picture: NewsWire/Glenn Campbell
His Eminence, the Most Reverend Metropolitan Basilios
Peter Dutton defended his attendance of the fundraiser at billionaire Justin Hemmes mansion insisting the Labor Party for “using that for political advantage in a time of natural disaster”.
He defended the trip on the grounds that it also included talks with religious leaders, namely the Metropolitan of the Antiochian Christian Archdiocese of Australia, New Zealand and the Philippines.
But news.com.au revealed last week that the man organising the meeting with the Greek Orthodox Church leaders, DeiCorp Group chairman and property developer Fouad Deiri, made contact with Mr Dutton’s office ahead of the meeting about a potential donation.
“While a potential donation was discussed in February, it was in no way linked to the meeting with His Eminence on March 5,” his spokesman said.
“The sole purpose of the meeting was for Mr Deiri, who is a board member of the Archdiocese, to introduce Mr Dutton to The Antiochian Orthodox Archbishop.
“Requests from political parties for political donations are received from time to time. If donations are made, they will be done so in full compliance of the regulations governing donations and disclosures.”
However, to date, he insisted that no donation had been offered, despite the preliminary discussions.
“Neither Mr Deiri nor DeiCorp has made a political donation to Mr Dutton or the Liberal Party.
“Not. One. Cent.
“If such a donation was made, it would be disclosed in accordance with the relevant regulations,’’ he said.
Before the Hemmes fundraiser, Dutton had talks with the Most Reverend Metropolitan Basilios
News.com.au contacted Mr Dutton’s office on March 4, about whether he had jetted to Sydney to attend a fundraiser this week and his office indicated the earlier event in the day was not a fundraiser.
The earlier event Mr Dutton attended was at the home of His Eminence, the Most Reverend Metropolitan Basilios.
A spokesman did not elaborate that he did attend a fundraiser at Justin Hemmes’ historic mansion ‘The Hermitage’ a few hours later.
His spokesman said Mr Dutton did not need to attend the major 9am cyclone briefing because he had been briefed by the Queensland Premier and emergency services personnel earlier that morning.
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