‘Designed to whip up outrage’: Albanese rejects Dutton’s ’stunt’ royal commission

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has branded Opposition Leader Peter Dutton’s motion to have a royal commission into the sexual abuse of Indigenous children as a stunt.

The motion was originally put forward by Shadow Indigenous Affairs Minister Jacinta Price in the Senate before Mr Dutton made the same motion in the House of Representatives – both were rejected.

According to Sky News Political Editor Andrew Clennell, the Prime Minister talked down the royal commission during Question Time on Thursday.

Mr Albanese said, “no one in this place is disputing the seriousness of this issue”.

“What we won’t be doing is agreeing to stunts which are designed to whip up outrage somehow as if this is a partisan issue.”