MEDIA RELEASE | 17 May 2024

Dutton Budget Reply a “lazy vote grab steeped in racism”

National racial and economic justice organisation, Democracy in Colour, has slammed the comments made by Opposition Leader Peter Dutton in his budget reply as “a lazy vote grab steeped in racism.”

Democracy in Colour Campaigner, Jarrod Tan says:

“The scapegoating of migrants for national crises in the absence of any political accountability or practical solutions is racist electioneering. These kinds of comments are a throwback to decades-old election campaign rhetoric that is increasingly ineffective and frankly out of touch.

“In the midst of a housing and cost of living crisis, all that Mr Dutton has proposed is that we keep migrants in a state of limbo, eroding their rights and reducing this country’s appeal to many of the talented workers that this country desperately needs.

“It is no secret that Mr Dutton oversaw a migration program that resulted in significant exploitation of migrants and scathing reports by former Chief Commissioner of Victoria Police Christine Nixon and most recently the Australian Audit Office. This latest attempt at scapegoating migrants is just another shameful political tactic designed to point the finger at someone else and our communities are sick of it.”

In the lead-up to the next federal election, Democracy in Colour is calling on politicians from all sidesto provide an honest, accountable assessment of the pressures we are all facing while posing real solutions. Jarrod Tan adds:

“There are many marginal electorates across the country with strong diverse communities at their heart. Rather than point to the decades of policy decisions that turned this country’s housing system into a get-rich-quick scheme at the expense of future generations, Mr Dutton has chosen to again take these communities for granted.

Instead, we continue to see a blatant disregard for the many contributing factors that have created these crises over decades in an attempt to escape accountability and drum up votes.” he said.

MEDIA CONTACT: Jarrod Tan 0455 200 905