Dutton seeking legal advice after Zali Steggall calls him ‘racist’

Peter Dutton is seeking legal advice after being called “racist” during a heated House debate on visas for Palestinians fleeing Gaza, Sky News reported on Sunday.

The opposition leader earlier this week moved a motion to suspend standing orders and debate Gaza visas, giving him the floor to accuse the government of dropping the ball on national security and make the case for a blanket ban on people fleeing the war-torn Palestinian territory.

But things boiled over when independent MP Zali Steggall told the House about a Palestinian refugee in her electorate who came “to Australia under a visa approved by the Morrison government under the same systems.”

Mr Dutton interjected several times, prompting Ms Steggall to snap.

“We heard you in silence,” she told the Liberal leader, after multiple interjections from Mr Dutton.

“You can hear me in silence. Stop being racist!”

Ms Steggall withdrew her comment, which was protected under parliamentary privilege, but repeated the claim several times outside the House.

“To raise an inference that we are to fear anyone coming here, seeking refuge from Gaza, any Palestinians, that there’s an inference they are all terrorists, or they are all linked with Hamas. Now that is, that is a racist inference,” she told The Guardian.

“If [Dutton] is going to advocate for a policy that comes under the definition of racism, then that inference is there.”

Ms Steggall also repeated the claim to Sky, telling the broadcaster Mr Dutton is racist “by association” with his policy.

She brushed off legal concerns raised on the program, saying “there would be a defence of truth when I look at the definition of racism”.

The Lebanese Muslims Association has also taken Mr Dutton to task over his visa ban proposal.

“The Lebanese Muslim Association vehemently condemns the recent racist and hypocritical remarks made by Opposition Leader Peter Dutton regarding refugees from Gaza,” the organisation said.

“His comments are not only deeply offensive but represent a calculated attempt to exploit social division for political gain.”

On Friday, Mr Dutton told Today Show Ms Steggall’s comments were untrue and were “fuelling tensions”.

“I’m not a racist, and I’m not going to be standing here as a punching bag for people like Zali Steggall,” he said.

“I actually think, ironically, that them calling out people unnecessarily and unrealistically and unjustly as racists, they’re actually fuelling tensions.”

Mr Dutton has not responded to NewsWire’s request for comment on his reported legal plans.

Speaking to Sky on Sunday, federal minsiter Ed Husic refused to weigh in on whether Mr Dutton or his proposal was racist, but said the Liberal leader had made the call “without thinking it through.”

“This is just Peter Dutton playing semantics and trying to dodge the fact that he made a call on a morning TV program without thinking it through,” Mr Husic said.

“This is a person who wants to be Prime Minister. You can’t make those calls in that way without thinking stuff through.

“The bloke has a problem with detail and the bloke always opts for division above cohesion and I think that reflects terribly on him.”

More to come.