May 16th 2024.
In a heated exchange on the morning show Today, government front bencher Bill Shorten did not hold back in his criticism of Opposition leader Peter Dutton's budget reply speech. Shorten, who is also the Minister for the NDIS and Government Services, called Dutton's speech a "show bag of slogans and Band-Aids." The two politicians were discussing the Opposition's response to the federal budget, which was presented in Parliament the day before.
Shorten took aim at Dutton's plan to reduce the number of international students and impose a two-year ban on foreign investors purchasing property. He stated that the government is on track to cut the net overseas migration number in half, but questioned Dutton's approach. "I understand what it's like to be an Opposition leader and give the budget reply," Shorten said, "but Peter's presentation was pretty lightweight."
Shorten also pressed Dutton for a specific figure on the number of foreigners buying Australian properties. He asked, "You said we cannot have these foreigners buying houses. That sounds interesting, so I checked overnight. How many foreigners have bought houses in Australia in the past two years, Pete?" Dutton responded by saying that their policy would free up 40,000 homes in the first year and 325,000 over five years. He acknowledged that the number of foreign buyers is low but still contributes to the housing shortage in the country.
Shorten then revealed that he had researched the number of foreign buyers overnight and found it to be less than 5,000. Earlier, Dutton had claimed that the personal attacks from government ministers showed that his budget reply was resonating with voters. He also took a jab at Shorten's performance as Opposition leader during the 2019 federal election, where the Labor party was predicted to win but ultimately lost to the Coalition led by Scott Morrison. Dutton accused Shorten of resorting to personal attacks when under pressure, to which Shorten responded, "I didn't like personal attacks. As soon as you're under pressure, you go personal."
The exchange between Shorten and Dutton highlights the intense political climate in Australia, with both sides fiercely defending their policies and attacking the opposition. As the budget continues to be a hot topic, it is clear that these two politicians have different approaches and opinions on how to address the issues at hand. Only time will tell which approach will prove to be more effective in the eyes of the public.
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