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Dutton is a cowardly bully with his ‘fake refugees’ claim: Bandt

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Adam Bandt MP
Federal Member for Melbourne
22 May 2017

Dutton is a cowardly bully with his ‘fake refugees’ claim: Bandt

Adam Bandt MP, The Greens Member for Melbourne, said question time today demonstrated that Peter Dutton is nothing more than a cowardly bully who beats up on refugees and then runs away when asked to account for himself.

Mr Bandt asked Peter Dutton to repeat in Parliament his recent claim that there were 7,500 “Fake Refugees” in Australia. There are penalties for misleading the Parliament. Peter Dutton refused to repeat his false claims.

Dutton is a cowardly bully with his ‘fake refugees’ claim: Bandt

 

Adam Bandt MP, The Greens Member for Melbourne, said question time today demonstrated that Peter Dutton is nothing more than a cowardly bully who beats up on refugees and then runs away when asked to account for himself.

 

Mr Bandt asked Peter Dutton to repeat in Parliament his recent claim that there were 7,500 “Fake Refugees” in Australia. There are penalties for misleading the Parliament. Peter Dutton refused to repeat his false claims.

“He’s happy to make vile accusations about ‘fake refugees’ from the bully pulpit of a press conference, but when questioned about the claims he doesn’t have the guts to repeat them in Parliament,” said Mr Bandt.

“Peter Dutton is the gutless schoolyard bully that hurts the weak when he thinks no-one is looking and then lies about it when caught out.

“If Peter Dutton isn’t prepared to back up his claims in Parliament, he shouldn’t be a Minister at all.”

Media contact: Gideon Reisner, 0429 109 054

TW: @AdamBandt FB: facebook.com/Adam.Bandt.MP

 Mr. Bandt’s question:

My question is to the Minister for Immigration and Border Protection. According to a transcript published on your ministerial website, you said yesterday that in this country we have 7,500 people who have not provided detail about their claims for protection and are fake refugees. Are you prepared to repeat in this parliament the misleading statement that 7,500 people are fake refugees or do you only make such accusations from the bully pulpit of a press conference? You know that every one of those people is entitled to have their claim independently assessed, that every one of them may be a genuine refugee and that the government is just beating up on a group of vulnerable people to try and lift its poll numbers.”

Video link to Mr. Bandt’s question and Peter Dutton’s answer

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Adam Bandt MP
Federal Member for Melbourne
22 May 2017
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