Peter Dutton wants a ‘normalised’ relationship with China, but warns Australia should ‘prepare for war’

His comments come after Prime Minister Scott Morrison said during his Anzac Day speech on Monday that “coercion” was troubling “our region once more”, in the wake of a .

Mr Morrison also said on Sunday that China building a military base in the Pacific nation would be a “red line” for Australia and the United States, although Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare says his government

.

Appearing on the Nine Network’s Today show on Monday, Mr Dutton was asked how Australia could ensure this “red line” wasn’t overstepped.

“The only way you can preserve peace is to prepare for war and be strong as a country. Not to be on bended knee and be weak. That’s the reality,” Mr Dutton said.

When questioned about his “provocative” language, Mr Dutton pushed back.

“We’re in a period very similar to the 1930s now and I think there were a lot of people in the 1930s who wish they had spoken up much earlier into the decade,” he said.

“I think that’s the sobering reality of where we are, it is the sobering reality of the intelligence we receive.”

People attending a service in the Sanctuary at the Shrine of Remembrance, placing poppies during Anzac Day in Melbourne, Monday, 25 April, 2022. Source: AAP / Con Chronis

In his speech, Mr Morrison said the “arc of autocracy” was threatening the world, which Mr Dutton said was “the reality of our time”.

“We shouldn’t take for granted the sacrifice that was made by the Anzacs,” Mr Dutton said.

“We have to be realistic that people like Hitler and others aren’t just a figment of our imagination or that they’re consigned to history.

“We have, in [Russia] President [Vladimir] Putin at the moment, somebody who is willing to kill women and children. That’s happening in the year 2022.”

Mr Dutton also said China was currently on a “very deliberate course” and Australia must “stand up with countries to stare down any act of aggression”.

He said he wanted a “normalised relationship with China as quickly as possible” but “acts of aggression” were not “acceptable to our country or to countries that stand for what we stand for”.

Labor deputy leader Richard Marles agreed the nation needed to prepare for war as he said the government had “failed” in managing relationships with Pacific nations.

“We are at a moment in our history where our strategic circumstances are as complex as many points since the end of the Second World War. And we certainly need to prepare, but we have not seen the preparation under this government,” Mr Marles told reporters on Monday.

Scott Morrison delivers Anzac Day speech as thousands turn out for dawn services

Thousands of Australians have gathered to pay tribute to servicemen and women on Anzac Day in dawn ceremonies where the country’s leaders also acknowledged Ukraine’s fight for freedom.

For some states, the commemorations for the 107th anniversary of the Anzac landing at Gallipoli marked a return to normal crowds following two years of disruption due to COVID-19 restrictions.

And with day 15 of the federal election campaign falling on

, the Coalition and Labor will be pausing to commemorate Australia’s military legacy.

The national dawn service in Canberra began with a moment of quiet reflection followed by the sound of a didgeridoo played by Worimi man, Leading Aircraftman Tarryn Roach.

Army veteran Mike Ruffin – who served in Malaya, Borneo and Vietnam – told the service at the Australian War Memorial said it was a day to reflect on the Anzac spirit.

He spoke of his personal experience on New Year’s Eve in 1968 during the Vietnam War, which had forged a lasting bond between mates.

A tribute left by a member of the public rests against the Cenotaph during the annual Anzac Day Dawn Service at Martin Place in Sydney. Source: AAP / Steven Saphore

“In hindsight, it seems inconceivable that five men could run across 100 metres of open ground whilst being subjected to that amount of fire and not receive a single gunshot wound,” he said.

“Had any one of us been wounded, that would have been the end as we would never have left a mate behind.

“Every Anzac Day, I reflect on that experience and am so grateful that we all survived. We still keep in touch to this day.”He said Australia was fortunate that current service personnel were “so highly trained, prepared to take the risks and committed to serving their country when asked to do so”.

Mr Morrison and Labor deputy leader Richard Marles were in Darwin for services, as Labor leader Anthony Albanese remains in isolation at his Sydney home as he recovers from COVID-19.

Mr Morrison said as Australians honoured their own fallen who fought for liberty and freedom, “we stand with the people of Ukraine, who do the same thing at this very moment”.

“Our world is changing. War does strike Europe again. Coercion troubles our region once more and an arc of autocracy is challenging the rules-based order our grandparents secured,” he said.

“Democratic-free peoples are standing together again.”Mr Albanese said in a video message the Australian character was confirmed at Gallipoli and since then Australians had “stood steadfast as warriors and as builders and keepers of the peace”.

“Yet as the war in Ukraine so tragically reminds us, darkness is not vanquished from the world,” he said.

“It reminds us freedom cannot be taken for granted. It reminds us that freedom isn’t free.”

It is the first Anzac Day since forces withdrew from Afghanistan, where 41 Australians died in service.

Canberra’s commemorations will include the first full veterans’ march in three years.

The RSL ACT branch has 41 contingents registered for the march, made up of between 850 and 900 marchers.

Governor-General David Hurley will deliver an address to the nation from the Australian War Memorial following the march.This year marks the 80th anniversary of Anzac Day commemorations at the memorial.

Overseas, Anzac services will take place in Turkey, France, Thailand, Malaysia and Papua New Guinea.

Delivering the address in Sydney, Major General Matthew Pearse said it was a day to give thanks for all veterans for their service, their sacrifice and their resilience.

“They’re filled with stories of ordinary Australians who pulled together despite adversity to support their mates and put their lives on the line to defend our national interests and secure a brighter future.”