Peter Dutton has been grilled over his decision to leave Queensland as Tropical Cyclone Alfred barrelled towards the coast and attend an election fundraiser at the mansion of hospitality mogul Justin Hemmes.
The Opposition Leader rubbed shoulders with a ‘small gathering’ of high-profile guests at the Vaucluse mansion overlooking Sydney Harbour last Tuesday night, the Australian Financial Review reported.
Mr Dutton, who is the MP for Dickson in Brisbane’s northern suburbs which was directly in Alfred’s firing line according to Tuesday forecasts, flew to Sydney especially for the event.
The Liberal leader on Monday insisted it was ‘not a party’ but a fundraising event and accused Labor for using the event as ‘political leverage to push out a negative campaign’.
On Tuesday, Sunrise host Nat Barr grilled Dutton over his attendance at the event, asking if he thought it was a ‘good idea in hindsight’.
‘We’ve got to fundraise,’ Mr Dutton shot back.
‘I don’t have the millions of dollars coming from the CFMEU and the other unions, and the Prime Minister attends fundraisers.
‘I’d prefer not (to fundraise). I’d be much happier with public funding, but that’s the way in which the rules are written at the moment.’
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton (pictured) rubbed shoulders with a ‘small gathering’ of high-profile guests at the Vaucluse mansion overlooking Sydney Harbour last Tuesday night
Hospitality mogul and Rich Lister Mr Hemmes, 52, is boss of the Merivale Group which owns around 100 pubs, hotels and restaurants across Australia (Mr Hemmes is pictured with his partner Madeline Holtznagel)
The Opposition Leader then outlined his itinerary, insisting that he ‘wasn’t absent from my community’.
‘The fact that Jim Chalmers and Anthony Albanese are looking for political advantage at the time of a natural disaster reflects more poorly on them than anyone,’ Mr Dutton added.
Mr Dutton began last Tuesday in his northern Brisbane electorate, in the suburb of Kedron, urging residents to start preparing ‘now’ because the cyclone was a ‘very serious event’.
‘We need to make sure that we listen to the advice, that people prepare, and now is the time to listen to the authorities… about actions that you need to take in terms of preparation in your own yard, around your own business premises, in relation to supplies that you need to provide for you and your family,’ he told locals.
After receiving a Queensland police briefing on the cyclone alongside the state’s Liberal premier David Crisafulli, he flew to Sydney later that morning.
There he reportedly attended a lunch put on by property developer Fouad Deiri, which was held at the home of a Greek Orthodox bishop in Sydney’s south.
A spokesperson for Mr Dutton told media that it ‘was not a fundraising event, it was a luncheon meeting with Antiochian Archdiocese Church representatives and no other political donors were present’.
But news.com.au revealed on Monday that Mr Dutton’s office had previously discussed a potential donation with Mr Deiri.
Pictured is The Hermitage, the sprawling mansion overlooking Sydney Harbour owned by pub baron billionaire Justin Hemmes
‘While a potential donation was discussed in February, it was in no way linked to the meeting with His Eminence on March 5,’ a spokesperson for the property developer told the publication.
‘The sole purpose of the meeting was for Mr Deiri, who is a board member of the Archdiocese, to introduce Mr Dutton to The Antiochian Orthodox Archbishop.’
That evening, Mr Dutton attended the fundraiser at Mr Hemmes’ $100million harbourside mansion in Sydney’s eastern suburbs.
Hospitality mogul and Rich Lister Mr Hemmes, 52, is boss of the Merivale Group which owns around 100 pubs, hotels and restaurants across Australia.
His venues stand to benefit from one of the Coalition’s key election promises: to introduce tax-free staff lunches for businesses to stimulate the hospitality sector.
Mr Dutton told Sunrise he flew back to his electorate on the ‘first flight’ on Wednesday morning, when he appeared on Brisbane’s 4BC Breakfast.
Brisbane residents are seen at the flooded Kedron Brooke on Sunday
He was asked in the interview whether Anthony Albanese would call an election for April 12 on Sunday, as was widely expected then.
Mr Dutton rightly predicted the Prime Minister was likely to postpone an election announcement over the weekend, given millions of people across southeast Queensland and northeast NSW will be dealing with ‘significant flooding’ and other effects of the cyclone.
‘There will be people waiting for waters to reside, there will be swift water rescues, there will be people cleaning out their houses or their businesses, and some people will have lost everything,’ Mr Dutton added.
‘That’s the reality of these weather events, and to go to election at that stage, at that time, I think the Prime Minister would have a tin ear to do that.’
He did not mention in that interview that he had left his electorate to fly to Sydney.
At the time. Employment Minister Murray Watt said Mr Dutton ‘owes Queenslanders an explanation’.
‘It’s surprising that when Peter Dutton’s own community was filling sandbags, he was filling Liberal Party money bags at a Sydney harbourside mansion,’ he said.