Subject: Visit to Western Australia.
E&OE.
QUESTION:
Mr Dutton, has the tide turned in WA?
PETER DUTTON:
Well, it’s great to be here in WA again. It’s great to be with friends tonight and talk about how we get our country back on track because we want to do so much for WA. We want to get this great state pumping even more than it is now.
Our country performs best when WA is doing well, and I think at the moment, the Federal Government, the Albanese Government, is just distracted and they’ve let the ball down when it comes to WA. So, we’re very excited about our policies and how we’re putting Western Australia right at the front of our considerations.
QUESTION:
I think you were visiting a shopping centre this afternoon. What was the response you got?
PETER DUTTON:
Well, I’ve got to say we’ve had a really good response from our visits here, and I’m very pleased with the reception. People have been very encouraging and very supportive. We’ve got a long way to go between now and the next election and the campaigning machine – you’ve seen some grubby advertising from Labor already today – and you’d expect a lot more of that.
QUESTION:
Has the result in Queensland given you hope for how you might perform in WA?
PETER DUTTON:
Look, I think what it demonstrates is that the public will punish a bad Government. They did it in Queensland, I think they’ll do it at the federal election as well because the Prime Minister promised so much before the election and he’s delivered on nothing. He’s made lives harder for Australians, small businesses are closing, people are losing their jobs and it’s a situation that can’t continue. This is as bad as the Whitlam Government was, and our country can’t afford three more years of Mr Albanese.
QUESTION:
John Howard and Tony Abbott are here tonight. Is that evidence of the importance of WA in this federal election?
PETER DUTTON:
Well, it is, and I’m very proud to be with both John and Tony tonight. They’ve been giants within the Party for a long period of time, and my speech tonight, I’m really going to pay tribute to John Howard, who I think has done an amazing job in and out of office for not just the Liberal Party, but most importantly for the country as well.
QUESTION:
You mentioned ‘grubby advertising’, was that a reference to the Halloween themed ads going around?
PETER DUTTON:
Yeah, yeah.
QUESTION:
Do you take it personally?
PETER DUTTON:
No. It’s water off a duck’s back, but I think it demonstrates the juvenile nature of some of the stuff that Labor’s got out there. I’m determined to concentrate on the positive and make sure that we get a better outcome for WA, and we can do that if we change Government at the next election.
[ends]