Bridget Archer leads criticism after Peter Dutton compares pro-Palestine protest to Port Arthur massacre
Peter Dutton has drawn widespread criticism, including from one of his own MPs, for comparing the 1996 mass murder of 35 people at Port Arthur to a pro-Palestine protest at the Sydney Opera House.
The Tasmanian Liberal backbencher Bridget Archer labelled Dutton’s comments “incredibly disrespectful” and “wholly inappropriate”.
The MP for Bass, who is known for speaking out against the party line on important issues, told Guardian Australia the example used in the opposition leader’s speech on Wednesday night went too far.
“[Dutton’s comments were] incredibly disrespectful to the victims and survivors of one of the darkest days in our nation’s history and a wholly inappropriate and somewhat bizarre comparison,” Archer said.
Dutton used an address at the Sydney Opera House to warn of an unprecedented and unchecked rise in antisemitism.
The Liberal leader then compared the 9 October pro-Palestine protests outside the Sydney Opera House last year to the Port Arthur massacre, which led to tougher gun laws in Australia, while blaming Labor politicians’ “moral equivalence” for rising antisemitism.
“While no one was killed during the 9 October protests, the events at the Sydney Opera House were akin to a Port Arthur moment in terms of their social significance,” Dutton said.
On Thursday, Dutton appeared to walk back the comments when asked whether he still stood by comparing the two events.
“If you look at the facts of what I said, I don’t think you could have the presumption in that question that you ask,” he said, suggesting the comments were about former prime minister John Howard’s strength as a leader instead of comparing the Port Arthur massacre to a protest.
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The prime minister and the premier of New South Wales both took issue with the opposition leader’s example, with Chris Minns warning Dutton to “keep NSW police out of the federal political fight” while Anthony Albanese said he was “taken aback”.
The Greens senator Nick McKim also criticised the comments, calling them disrespectful.
The senator, from Tasmania, said: “Dutton can stay out of Tasmania for good.”
In an address to the Queensland Media Club on Thursday, the prime minister said Dutton’s comments went too far and he was “very concerned” about social cohesion in Australia.
“Sometimes what Peter Dutton does in his comments, is to think about how hard you could possibly go and how angry you could possibly be – and then go one step further,” Albanese said.
“It’s up to him to explain that. I’m someone who has spent time, including recently in Parliament House, with the family of victims of Port Arthur.”
Labor’s federal member for Lyons, Brian Mitchell, whose electorate includes Port Arthur, condemned Dutton’s reference to 1996’s “unspeakable tragedy”.
“The Australian people put politics aside and came together in common purpose,” he said.
“As the local member here, I would ask Peter Dutton to reflect on that and refrain from making such divisive and inflammatory comments using the tragedy in our community.”
Dutton also used his speech to condemn the police response, saying rising antisemitism could have been restrained if the police response to the protests had been stronger. The opposition leader added it was “astonishing”
how few arrests had been made for antisemitic behaviour.
When asked about the comments, NSW police pointed out that the force began Operation Shelter after the Opera House protests, to “ensure community safety in response to any future protest activity”.
Eighty-nine people have been arrested and charged with 191 offences as part of the operation, which also included a strike force to investigate reports of unlawful activity during protests across Sydney.
Minns defended the NSW police force as a “wonderful institution” in Sydney on Thursday.
“They do a great job in NSW and we should all get behind them,” he said.
Albanese said efforts to politicise or weaponise issues surrounding the Israel-Gaza conflict were not appropriate and risked dividing Australian communities.
“When it comes to the Middle East, these are complex issues. They do not need people talking up the heat, they need people turning it down,” he said.
Dutton suggested on Wednesday that a “supine” police response to antisemitic incidents could reflect an effort to avoid “offending certain cultural sensitivities or stoking tension in particular communities”.
When asked to respond to Dutton’s comments, Victoria police said that it takes any report of racial or religiousbased crime extremely seriously and “will investigate all cases, no matter who has reported them”.
“Our engagement with the Palestinian and Jewish communities remains strong both through our proactive patrolling and our support of community events,” a spokesperson said.
The Queensland police service was contacted for comment.
– Additional reporting by Eden Gillespie, Tamsin Rose and Benita Kolovos