
After a brief deliberation of just a few hours, Dutton hastily implemented a “Me Too” policy regarding Medicare and bulk billing. His swift action, however, uncovered his lack of a coherent response to Labor’s initiative on bulk billing. Facing this unexpected challenge, Dutton was cornered, exposing him to his previous shortcomings during his tenure as Health Minister.
Frankly, Labor has exposed the Coalition’s dearth of policies generally and laid bare its lack of a coherent policy on anything. This lack of preparedness at the beginning of a campaign is concerning, leaving the Coalition vulnerable to unexpected challenge.
Doctors overwhelmingly voted him the worst health minister in living memory during his tenure, according to a poll conducted by Australian Doctor magazine.
Medical groups were vociferous in their Opposition to introducing a Medicare co-payment.
Tasmanian GP Dr Donald Rose was quoted as saying:
“Dutton will be remembered as the dullest, least innovative and most gullible for swallowing the reforms from his thinktank … Although I am glad, he has been demoted, it would have been good if he was still around to take responsibility for the current chaos he has caused.”
“… cut $50 billion from hospitals, tried to introduce a $7 GP tax and secretly launched the Medicare Privatisation Taskforce.”
To finance its nuclear fantasy, the Coalition needs a mountain of money, and it can only take it from the departments with the most significant budgets, such as Education, Health, Defence, Social Services, or Public Service. He has already said it will be the Public Service but won’t say how much until after the election. So he says, but with little detail.
From The Saturday Paper, ‘Sacked public servants to pay for Dutton’s Medicare’:
- The opposition leader says he will find the money for free GP visits by sacking the public servants added by Labor over the past three years (The Age);
- Dutton says his plan will save $6bn annually over four years (The Guardian);
- Albanese declared that his policy had been funded in December’s mid-year budget update under the secretive decisions “taken but not yet announced” provision (The Australian).
Recall the bold declaration made by Tony Abbott: “No cuts to health, no cuts to education.” This promise resonated with many, but reality told a different story as the LNP’s first budget was rolled out.
Labor has successfully removed Health from the equation with the announcement on Bulk Billing, and I expect Social Services to follow. For example, the opposition leader must decide whether to oppose a cost-of-living election strategy of another $300 handout on energy. He is dammed if he does or dammed if he doesn’t.
Another option for Albanese is a rise in pensions or other social services that will rob Dutton of money for his dreadful decision on energy. If he opposes, he will look cruel. If he decides on another “Me Too” decision eventually, he will have to face the inevitable question, “Where is the money coming from?” He will be caught between a rock and a hard place.
Financing his nuclear policy will take an enormous bucket of money, and whatever he eventually tells us will be subject to cost blowouts along the way. Look at Snowy 2.0; the project is now expected to cost $12 billion, six times the original forecast. Imagine if you applied that to Dutton’s Nuclear Policy.
Dutton was so taken aback by Albanese’s proposal that it took him less than a few hours to agree to $8.5bn in his election plans to match the Labor government’s commitment to redefine Medicare bulk billing. He added another $500 million.
Peter Dutton has fervently vowed to slash the expansive expenditures of the government if he rises to power, highlighting his determination to shrink the vast machinery of the public service. In a swift counterattack, the Labor party has implored the opposition leader to disclose the particulars of his plan, warning that a downsizing of public servants might result in extended delays and a decline in vital services that communities rely on. Such drastic cuts would plunge us into utter chaos.
Again, no detail.
What’s next?
Mr Dutton said he would not provide details of where the spending cuts would come from until after the federal election. This lack of transparency allows Labor to take advantage of incumbency, which offers many advantages until an election is called. April 5 or April 12 are firming as the best options.
The question inevitably arises as to whether DUTTON KNOWS WHAT HE IS DOING.
Peter Dutton’s shadowy and inconsistent blueprint for cutting back the public service began to take shape this week, as he hinted at an intention to eliminate nearly all the new public servants hired by Labor since they took the reins of government.
He proposed channelling the savings from these cuts into enhancements for Medicare, highlighting a dramatic shift in priorities. Yet, this marks at least the third distinct instance in which Dutton has vowed to repurpose “savings” from the public service, raising pressing questions about the financial foundation of his various commitments and the feasibility of his promises.
Dutton’s Coalition has pledged to address the increase in public servants added by Labor, who argues these roles were previously outsourced. There have been conflicting statements from Coalition shadow ministers regarding the number of positions they would cut if they won government.
David Littleproud, the Nationals leader, previously stated that all 36,000 public service positions would be cut but recently claimed that few cuts would be necessary.
Shadow finance minister Jane Hume said reductions would primarily occur through “natural attrition.” Shadow minister Jacinta Nampijinpa Price said the Coalition “won’t be cutting” the public service but later said there would be “sensible reductions” to the APS.
This has been going on for weeks now with contradictory statements from senior shadow ministers declining to say how many jobs would go if it won government, rather like the left hand not knowing what the right is doing. If you add the nuclear shemozzle, it looks like the humpy dumpty political party is worse than when it was in power three years ago. What a way to start an election campaign.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton and his ragged Coalition repeatedly challenge voters with the pressing question of whether they feel better off than they did three years ago.
Contrary to the bewildering start of the Opposition, Prime Minister and Treasurer Jim Chalmers has been on a fervent mission energetically traversing radio and television airwaves, passionately engaging with the public to inspire hope and optimism, painting a picture of an optimistic future just around the corner.
The PM got another chance when he appeared at ABC’s Q&A on Monday, February 24.
Albanese, in answer to one question, said:
“Remember what Tony Abbott famously [said] ‘No cuts to health, no cuts to education’. and what happened. First budget: $80bn [of budget cuts] – 50 [billion] off hospitals, 30 [billion] off education.”
“The best predictor of future behaviour is past behaviour, and the Coalition has a long history of undermining Medicare and cutting Health budgets – breaking promise after promise.”
Why would you expect anything different from Dutton?
My thought for the day
A commitment to social justice demands the transformation of social structures as well as our hearts and minds.
PS. Please share if you can.
Dear reader, we need your support
Independent sites such as The AIMN provide a platform for public interest journalists. From its humble beginning in January 2013, The AIMN has grown into one of the most trusted and popular independent media organisations.
One of the reasons we have succeeded has been due to the support we receive from our readers through their financial contributions.
With increasing costs to maintain The AIMN, we need this continued support.
Your donation – large or small – to help with the running costs of this site will be greatly appreciated.
You can donate through PayPal or credit card via the button below, or donate via bank transfer: BSB: 062500; A/c no: 10495969
Dutton and the LNP will be happy if the campaign is framed around domestic issues like Medicare via ‘he said, she said’ narratives avoiding broader and deeper analysis (or scrutiny of immoral & unethical behaviour) by our RW MSM and influencer ecosystem, running protection vs ALP.
One notices scanning media headlines the virtual disappearance of Fox News’ ‘Frankenstein’ and ‘Russian asset’ in Trump, Putin, Musk, Vance et al versus Ukraine, EU and the west?
As we speak, the above have put the frighteners on conservatives and centre right through left eg. Canada, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Germany and hopefully Australia, despite our media, will follow the adult nations and our more Eurasian culture vs US and declining Russia?
The EU nations, are opposed to the ‘culture’ chosen by US fossil fuel Atlas-Koch & Tanton Networks (seemingly allied with Kremlin), promoted via Murdoch led RW white Christian nationalist MSM, with Howard, Abbott, Downer, Sheridan et al. in support; hardly a vote winner, but potential loss?
The latter have been joined at the hip with another ‘Russian Asset’, ARC Alliance of Responsible Citizenship’s Jordan Peterson; how are they going to ‘reverse ferret’ (if they care?) out of these relationships?
Vanity Fair: ‘While speaking under oath at a public hearing on election interference, Trudeau claimed that Russian state-owned news network RT has financially backed (former FoxNews host) Carlson’s venture, as well as the work of conservative Canadian author Jordan Peterson.’
https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/story/justin-trudeau-tucker-calrson-russian-propaganda
Dutton is layers, laminations, veneers, coatings of dried dogshit, brainclogging and filthy to contemplate, for Right wing selfish, greedy, profiteering triumphalist, plantation mentality makes us POOR, SICK, DELUDED, WRONG, ROBBED. Thanks, Merde DOG.
The LNP is entirely made up of Indiana Jones’s: “We don’t know. We’re making it up as we go.”
Um…er…snort…snigger…bwahahaha…
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/mar/03/peter-dutton-donald-trump-ukraine-russia-war-zelenskyy-putin
The LNP always go into elections without substantial policies. Their campaigns are based on complete and utter lies, a philosophy of “once we are in power we will be able to see the state of everything and work things out from there” or to put it another way “just trust us”, their use of Murdoch and the MSM to flood the media with anti Labor propaganda and lies, their use of the likes of Clive Palmer to “buy” votes away from Labor and the Independents, etc.
We already know there is a whole lot of stoopid out there these days, people who just believe the likes of Chump and Spud even when they are being completely and utterly screwed over by them. That is something that is hard to beat.
To badly paraphrase a certain song (with apologies) about Sir Robin:
Brave Sir Duddy Ran Away
Bravely bold Sir Duddy
Flew forth from Queenslandalot.
He was not afraid to die,
Oh brave Sir Duddy.
He was not at all afraid
To be killed in nasty ways.
Brave, brave, brave, brave Sir Duddy.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/dutton-lashed-for-leaving-queensland-ahead-of-cyclone-for-billionaire-s-fundraiser-20250306-p5lhca.html
Change line, “He was not afraid to die,” to now read, “He is not afraid to lie,”