Peter Dutton has sparked a culture war by declaring welcome to country ceremonies are “overdone” and should be reserved for major events like the opening of parliament. The opposition leader made the comments during the final leaders’ debate of the election campaign on Sunday night, six days before the 3 May poll.
Dutton condemned the booing of the ceremonies at the Anzac dawn service on Friday, calling Anzac Day a “sacred day”, but argued that holding a welcome to country at every meeting or football game “cheapens the significance”. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese countered that it was a “matter of respect” and should be left to individual organisations to decide.
The debate also saw Dutton claim schools are teaching children to be “ashamed of being Australian”, while both leaders supported Australia Day remaining on 26 January. Dutton reaffirmed his refusal to stand in front of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags at official press conferences.
On cost-of-living, Dutton labelled Labor’s tax cuts a “Band-Aid on a bullet wound”, while Albanese noted the Coalition’s proposed fuel excise cut and income tax relief would “disappear in a year’s time”. A panel of undecided voters judged Albanese the winner of the debate, with 50% backing him, 25% Dutton, and 25% undecided.
