Outgoing Labor minister Bill Shorten has called on Peter Dutton to focus on the cost of living and drop “culture wars” in a humorous final morning show appearance with the Opposition Leader.
Mr Dutton has been ramping up his patriotic rhetoric ahead of Australia Day, saying the Albanese government should federally mandate that local councils hold citizenship ceremonies on January 26.
Labor loosened rules around when Australia Day swearings-in could be held back in 2022 after local governments said the operational costs of holding them on a public holiday were too heavy.
A handful of councils have seized on the flexibility to boycott the national day.
Mr Dutton said on Friday that citizenship inductions were a federal responsibility “delegated” to councils, and “part of that agreement with the councils was that they couldn’t boycott Australia Day as a political statement”.
Some councils have ditched citizenship ceremonies on Australia Day. Picture: NewsWire / Glenn Campbell
“I think we live in the best country in the world, and I think we should be celebrating our national day as any other democracy does,” he told Nine’s Today.
“We accept the good and the bad of our history.”
January 26 marks the date the First Fleet established a settlement at Sydney Cove, marking the beginning of Britain’s colonisation of Australia and is broadly seen by Indigenous Australians as a day of mourning.
Asked to weigh in, Mr Shorten, who is set to leave politics on Monday after more than 17 years in parliament, said he would “miss” how his long-time political rival got fired up around Australia Day.
“Hold your spoon with your Weet-Bix on it, Pete,” he said.
“I’m going to miss you, but one of the things I’m going to miss about you is how you predictably lose your mind just before Australia Day every year.
“Last year you were doing the one-man comedy show boycott of Woolies.
“This year, now you’ve gone to war with the sandal-wearing inner-city mayors.
“I don’t know, next year, are you going to make it a law that the big issue salespeople have got to wear an ‘I love Australia’ badge?”
Retiring Labor minister Bill Shorten (right) has called on Opposition Labor Peter Dutton (left) to focus on the cost of living and drop ‘culture wars’. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman
Mr Shorten said politicians needed to be focused on the problems facing Australians.
“I celebrate Australia Day on the 26th of January, but the truth of the matter is that the only fight we should be having is the fight against cost of living, and the culture wars don’t help reduce the price of goods or help people get into housing,” he said.
“I mean, and just last bit of free advice, Pete … this gold-plated, nuclear taxpayer-funded fantasy of yours – I’ve been doing the maths in my head last night.
“There are children not yet born who are going to have to pay taxes for the next 50 years to pay for it.”
Indeed, with Australians forking out more for a worsening quality of life, cost of living has emerged as the top-of-mind issue for voters ahead of this year’s federal election.