‘It Wasn’t A Party’: Dutton Defends Sydney Trip During Cyclone Prep

Peter Dutton has defended himself after leaving cyclone preparation in Queensland for a fundraiser at billionaire Justine Hemmes’ waterside mansion.

On Wednesday, the Australian Financial Review reported that Dutton had left a cyclone briefing early, travelling from Queensland’s Emergency Management Centre in Brisbane to Sydney where he attended Hemmes’ event.

Speaking to Sky News from his home in Dickson, the Opposition Leader said that the criticism was politically motivated.

“It wasn’t a party, it was a fundraising dinner and the prime minister and I are doing them around the country at the moment,” Dutton said.

“I received a briefing that morning, went down [to Sydney], I had diary commitments including with an archbishop and a number of meetings otherwise in Sydney, I flew home on the first flight on Wednesday morning back into my electorate.

“I think people who are using that for political advantage at a time of a natural disaster, frankly, that’s a poorer reflection on them than it is on me.”

Half a million dollars raised sydney

On Sunday, the Daily Telegraph reported that the Hemmes fundraiser had raised $500,000, with a “$25,000-a-ticket price, with ‘nearly 20’ invited guests turning up to spend a few hours with the Liberal leader”.

Labor frontbencher and Queenslander Murray Watt shared a screenshot of the article on X, saying: “We now know how much Peter Dutton raised for the Liberals’ money bags, while his community was packing sandbags. Dutton sold out his constituents for $500,000 at Justin Hemmes’ Sydney harbourside mansion.”

Anthony Albanese has made a point of not criticising Dutton following the  fundraiser backlash, saying it wasn’t a time for politics.

“I’ve been getting on with doing this job… giving support to people in a totally non-political way, and I think it’s disappointing if there’s any suggestion otherwise,” he said.

“There are no politics involved here and there’s no border. I’ve worked seamlessly with [QLD Liberal] Premier Crisafulli and [NSW Labor] Premier Minns. It’s up to Peter Dutton how he behaves and what discourse he involves himself with.”