2 days Ago By Michelle Cazzulino
Sheesh, spare a thought for the good burghers of Kallangur. Barely one morning into the first working day of a federal election campaign, and their local member, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton, was making plans to relocate to Sydney if elected to high office. Now anyone in need of a quick post-election powwow with the member for Dickson is staring down the barrel of a nine hour, 43-minute commute to Kirribilli, where Dutton, resplendent in a business shirt and pair of tracky daks, will be firmly in work-from-home mode.
On the upside, jet-lagged constituents hailing from the People’s Republic of Queensland will be greeted by priceless harbour vistas. Dutton said he would move his family to Kirribilli House if he became prime minister. Credit: airviewonline.
com On the downside, Dutton mightn’t be that interested in discussing Some Local’s petition for a set of traffic lights at the corner of Remember This Place Drive and Only Water Views When It Rains Crescent, Kallangur, when he’s suddenly contending with the (frankly, criminal) price of parking in nearby Milsons Point. For those who missed it (anyone in NSW who dislikes bogan radio and – if the ratings are to be believed – basically everyone in Victoria), the subject of Dutton’s mooted move to Sydney arose on the Kyle and Jackie O Show this morning. The opposition leader, having submitted to a grilling by KIIS-FM’s two foremost political heavy hitters, was asked which city he and his family planned to relocate to if he won the top job at the coming election.
“We would live in Kirribilli,” Dutton declared. “We love Sydney, we love the harbour, it’s a great city. You’ve got the choice between Kirribilli or living in Canberra.
I think I’ll take Sydney any day over living in Canberra.” Now here’s a statement I did not envisage making before today: Peter Dutton, on one level at least, I am here for you. As someone who, for a variety of financial and familial reasons, summered in Queanbeyan for her entire childhood, I have some sympathy for anyone who wants to avoid the nation’s capital.
Despite what its rusted-on residents will tell you, no amount of marketing hocus-pocus will transform Lake Burley Griffin into Sydney Harbour. There’s the Mint, the High Court, and the miniatures at Cockington Green. By all means, go for a school excursion.
Go for a weekend, even. Good food, good coffee, good grief it’s cold, goodbye. Dodging The Lodge: Peter Dutton wants to live in Sydney if he becomes PM.
Credit: James Brickwood But back to Dutton. For a guy who’s on the record as wanting an urgent end to the working-from-home era, you’d think positioning himself as close as possible to Parliament House would be the priority. Forget all this woke-minded work/life balance malarkey, as a first-time PM, Dutton should be demonstrating his commitment to the cause by moving his knickknacks into the PM’s office and listing his new postcode as “Under My Desk”.
Apparently not..
