Opposition Leader Peter Dutton reacts to former prime minister Malclom Turnbull’s ‘thug’ claim in ABC Nemesis documentary

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has responded to the ABC’s Nemesis documentary where former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull described him as a “thug”. 

The ABC has aired two episodes – The Abbott Years and The Turnbull Years – of its newly released documentary series Nemesis which dives into the Coalition government’s nine years in power. 

“A landmark series taking you inside the recent Coalition government in a revealing tale of politics, ambition and power,” the series reads.

“Multiple leadership coups, internal wars over policy, three intense elections, and a global pandemic which turned Australian politics on its head.”

During the second episode which aired on Monday night, Malcolm Turnbull, who served as Australian’s prime minister from 2015 to 2018, was asked how we would describe Mr Dutton in one word, to which he replied with: “Thug”

Speaking to the media on Tuesday about stage three tax cuts, Mr Dutton was asked about the documentary when a reporter jumped in, saying: “Are you a thug?”

“Have you found me to be a thug? I think some of the narrative is sort of retrofitting a particular purpose,” Mr Dutton said. 

He then continued to hit out at Mr Turnbull, warning that he might come out with his own character assessments soon after previously declining to appear on the program. 

“In this job, it’ll be very difficult to go on the program, as I was asked to do, and give a true account of the actions of some individuals,” Mr Dutton said. 

“But maybe at some stage I’ll give an account to, of the true character of some individuals, but I of course, champion every former leader of my great party, and I’ll continue to do that into the future as well.

When first asked about the documentary, Mr Dutton claimed he was able to “deal with one liar at a time”, taking a swipe at both Mr Turnbull and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese over his changes to tax cuts. 

“I’ll put it more politely…I think I’ve proven in the past that I’m able to deal with one liar at a time, and we’re now dealing with the Prime Minister who has lied to the Australian public,” Mr Dutton said. 

In the documentary, Mr Turnbull was also asked to describe former prime minister Scott Morrison in one word, to which he replied with: “Duplicitous.”

Last week, Sky News host Peta Credlin spoke about the documentary and opened up after 10 years since the collapse of the Abbott prime ministership.

The first episode titled The Abbott Years explored Tony Abbott’s “thumping victory” in 2013 before being removed as prime minister less than two years later.

“Like Abbott, I declined to appear on the program because I was certain of a selective and distorted version of my response to the usual crap that I was too tough; too tough on entitlements, they said,” Credlin told her viewers. 

“I served as a political staffer for 16 years because I believe in the Liberal Party’s values – perfect? No one is, but I was loyal, absolutely loyal and always working for the government, not trying to undermine it.

“That’s why it hurt so much to see the party used by carpet baggers and careerists who should never have been given the honour of Liberal Party pre-selection in the first place.”