‘Bizarre thought bubble’: Labor brushes off Peter Dutton’s deportation referendum pitch

Labor has gone on the attack over Peter Dutton’s idea to send Australians to vote in a referendum on deporting criminal dual citizens as “bizarre” and a “thought bubble” to distract from the Coalition’s thin economic policy offering.

The Opposition Leader on Tuesday morning confirmed reports he was considering putting to Australians a constitutional change that would allow ministers ultimate say in cancelling the citizenship of people convicted of serious crimes like terrorism.

Mr Dutton, who routinely blasted Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for spending $450 million on the Voice to Parliament referendum and has pledged to rein in spending if he wins the election, said he “didn’t think you could put a price” on keeping children safe in the community.

“We can do as much as we can by legislation, but as they say, you can’t out-legislate the Constitution. The Constitution is the rule book and people don’t change it lightly, and they need good reason to,” Mr Dutton told Sunrise.

“As you point out with the Voice, it was the wrong issue for the government to put to the people.

“What we’re proposing here is a discussion about whether we’ve got adequate laws, whether the Constitution is restrictive, and ultimately, what I want to do is keep our country safe and keep communities safe.”

When pressed on why he was raising this issue when cost-of-living was the main thing on voters’ minds, he said “you can walk and chew gum”.

Shadow attorney-general Michaelia Cash downplayed the prospect of a referendum, stating the Coalition had “no plans” for such a vote, but was keeping “all options on the table”.

Labor was quick to capitalise on the apparent internal disunity over the idea, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese blasting it as a “thought bubble that has not made it to lunchtime”.

“This has not been thought through. It is not clear where this has come from, but Peter Dutton wants to talk about anything but cost-of-living,” he said.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers, who blasted the proposal as “bizarre”, said he doubted the idea would last long.

“Just like a lot of the other things that he said in an effort to try and avoid talking about the economy and his cuts,” he told ABC Radio.

Indepdendent senator Jacqui Lambie had earlier said while she was not opposed to deporting dual citizens convicted of serious crimes, a referendum was not the way to go.

“I just don’t know why we need to go to a referendum which is by the way going to cost millions. It’ll become toxic,” she told Sky News.

She also questioned why Mr Dutton had put forward the proposal now, arguing doing so wasn’t going to win him votes.

“This is not going to win him votes. (The election is) all about the cost of living,” she said.