At the end of February this year, an anonymous whistleblower letter targeted "rape" allegations at Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison's cabinet member, Australian Attorney General Christian Porter, and Australian politics then set off a "big earthquake" about the sexual assault scandal.
According to foreign media such as the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) and Agence France-Presse (AFP) on March 29, in order to stabilize the current scandal-ridden government situation, Prime Minister Morrison has made a series of adjustments to the members of his cabinet. Among them, there is considerable concern that home secretary Peter Dutton will enter the Ministry of Defence and transfer to the post of Minister of Defence.
Agence France-Presse has called Mr. Dutton a "hawkish" figure in Australian politics, particularly in his tough stance on China, and in recent years he has attacked China on issues such as "cyber attacks" and "intellectual property rights" and slandered the Belt and Road Initiative. In addition, he has often lashed out at opponents at home, and recently fought a war of words with neighboring New Zealand over "immigrant criminals".
Screenshot of the ABC report
According to ABC, due to Porter's "rape" allegations and a series of subsequent congressional sex scandals, in order to stabilize the situation, Prime Minister Morrison announced on the 29th that his cabinet will be reorganized, and Porter will no longer serve as the attorney general of Australia.
In addition to this adjustment, Defense Minister Linda Reynolds will also leave after the former employee said she was raped by a male colleague, and she will be replaced by Interior Minister Dutton, who will be replaced by Karen Andrews, Minister of Industry, Science and Technology. ABC described the transformation into defense minister, which was Dutton's "dream role."
As for Dutton, AFP called him a "hawkish figure" in Australian politics with a tough style. The 50-year-old was a police officer in Queensland before entering politics. In 2018, the ambitious Dutton "forced the palace" to step down former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull within the Liberal Party, but he was considered too conservative to be promoted to party leader and prime minister.
Screenshot of the AFP report
Since then, Dutton has worked to ensure he has a strong system of internal affairs, bringing together federal police, border troops and espionage intelligence agencies under a unified "national security umbrella." John Blaxland, a professor of international security and intelligence studies at the Australian National University, believes the defence minister will be a "natural stepping stone" to his political career.
"One of Australia's most aggressive politicians, at the helm of a sector focused on dealing with China's rise." Mr Dutton, Australia's sixth defence minister in eight years, is expected to strengthen military capabilities and take a tougher stance against China, AFP said.
Relations between China and Australia have continued to deteriorate in recent years, while Dutton has repeatedly claimed that China has launched so-called "cyberattacks" against Australia and "stolen intellectual property." At the same time, he also claimed that the Belt and Road Initiative is a "very real threat."
In May last year, Dutton also colluded with then-US Secretary of State Pompeo to slander the "Belt and Road". He falsely claimed that the "Belt and Road" is the propaganda strategy of the Chinese government, that the signing of the "Belt and Road" agreement between Victoria and China in Australia lacks transparency, and that Chinese values are different from those of Australia.
In response to the slander of the "Belt and Road" by Dutton and others, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian responded on May 25 last year that the successful cooperation practice between China and Victoria, Australia, under the framework of the "Belt and Road", was jointly determined and implemented by the two sides after friendly consultations based on improving the well-being of the people.
Source: Peter Dutton From Australian Media
In addition to being tough on China, Dutton is not "good stubble" in other places. During his 20-year parliamentary career, Dutton has lashed out at his opponents, and he recently angered Australia's "close ally" in his treatment of neighbouring New Zealand, AFP said.
In early March, Australia deported some people suspected of having "criminal records" back to New Zealand under new visa rules, including a 15-year-old underage boy, in a series of incidents that sparked a war of invective between government officials in both countries.
Dutton, who was australia's home affairs minister at the time, said the deportation was about "throwing garbage out" to ensure domestic security. Chris Hipkins, New Zealand's COVID-19 response minister, hit back that Australia was exporting their "garbage" to New Zealand because the men's crimes had taken place in Australia, where they had lived for a long time.
New Zealand Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta argues that Dutton's remarks only discredit his own reputation and that he needs to reflect on his character. At the same time, she said the Australian government should also reflect on how to describe the return of these repatriated people to New Zealand.
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