Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has been accused of “fuelling Islamophobia” in Australia by warning about the possible influence of “Muslim candidates” in the next term of parliament.
During a press conference in Queanbeyan, New South Wales on Thursday morning, Mr Dutton was asked about comments Prime Minister Anthony Albanese made during Question Time on Wednesday, concerning then-suspended Labor Senator Fatima Payman.
“Senator Payman, of course, has made a decision to place herself outside the Labor Party, that is a decision that she made,” Mr Albanese said.
“I expect further announcements in the coming days which will explain exactly what the strategy has been over now more than a month.”
Ms Payman subsequently announced, on Thursday, that she was leaving Labor to sit as an independent. She’d been suspended indefinitely by Mr Albanese on Sunday, having crossed the floor to support a Greens motion recognising a Palestinian state.
Asked about Mr Albanese’s Question Time remarks in Queanbeyan, Mr Dutton characterised them as “a political play by the Prime Minister”.
“He’s been in parliament for almost 30 years. He’s a tricky political operator, there’s no question about that. What he’s tried to do here is spike the story of Senator Payman, who clearly is going to go out into another party or some independent collaboration,” he said.
“I don’t know what her plan is. But clearly, the Prime Minister does.”
The Opposition Leader went on to raise the spectre of a minority government, should Labor be returned to power with fewer seats after the election, and the influence smaller factions in parliament would wield in such a scenario.
“I think what it does demonstrate is that the Prime Minister, if he’s in a minority government in the next term of parliament, it will include the Greens, it will include the green Teals, it will include Muslim candidates from Western Sydney. It will be a disaster,” he said.
“If you think the Albanese government is bad now, wait for it to be a minority government with the Greens, the green Teals and Muslim independents.
“That is not the formula for bringing grocery prices down and for getting our economy back on track. Inflation will continue to rage under that sort of a government, and interest rates will go higher.”
Mr Dutton’s warning about “Muslim candidates” has sparked accusations of Islamophobia, including from Australian cricket star Usman Khawaja.
“As a Muslim who grew up in Western Sydney, I find this comment from someone who is running for prime minister to be an absolute disgrace,” Mr Khawaja wrote on social media.
“Bigotry at its finest. Fuelling Islamophobia from the very top.”
Mr Khawaja, a proud Muslim, has repeatedly expressed his distress at the bloodshed in Gaza, at times copping a backlash from the sporting establishment for voicing “political views”.
He was not alone in criticising Mr Dutton’s remarks on Thursday.
“This is Islamophobia at its worst,” Kamalle Dabboussy, CEO of the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils, told news.com.au.
“I think it’s dog whistling. I think it’s divisive. I do not think it’s constructive or inclusive. It is marginalising the community.
“For a party that doesn’t even believe Islamophobia exists, I find his comments offensive.”
Mr Dabboussy suggested Mr Dutton’s remarks were made “in the context of politics and power and control”.
“I believe this is about destabilising the current government. I think he’s appealing to a certain segment of the community, the Hansonites, some of the voters out there,” he said.
“If I’m to be kind to him, I really don’t think he believes what he’s saying. He’s trying to destabilise at best, and at worst he is othering.
“Clearly he finds it very easy to make the Muslim community a pinata in the upcoming election. I don’t believe he’d say the same thing if it were another faith.
“The one thing we know about Aussie politics is the public always gets it right. Should the public vote in independents, that is the will of the people. That’s democracy. And undermining the will of the people is not consistent with a respectable political party’s position.”
Activist and writer Jeff Sparrow went further, calling Mr Dutton’s comments “naked racism”.
“Imagine the response if he’d warned against ‘Jewish candidates from Northern Sydney.’ It would have been career ending, and rightfully so,” Mr Sparrow said.
A number of regular Australians also commented on social media.
“Just despicable bigotry. I don’t expect much from any of our politicians but this is appalling,” said lawyer Bede Kelleher.
“If he had said, ‘It’ll include Jewish candidates from the inner-south east of Melbourne,’ he would have been rightly condemned in the strongest way,” said Eddie Clarke.
“But Islamophobia is so casually legitimised by mainstream politicians and the media.”
Mr Dutton’s office has been contacted for comment.