Sussan Ley stands by ‘foreign criminals’ post on eve of Dunkley byelection

Ley and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton on Friday defended the Coalition’s attacks on the government.

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“I think when you’re relying on advice from the police authorities, from a statement that had been issued or from media reports that had been confirmed by the minister responsible, I think it’s entirely reasonable that you would … make the points that we made yesterday,” Dutton said from Frankston on Friday with Liberal candidate Nathan Conroy.

Speaking at a press conference on Friday with Labor’s Dunkley candidate, Jodie Belyea, at Jubilee Park Stadium in Frankston, Albanese said the “political game-playing … reflects badly on where the Liberal Party have gotten to in 2024”.

“Yesterday shows the problem if you are just negative, if you just run fake campaigns, if you don’t worry about the facts, but you just shoot from the hip, get out there [and] run a fear campaign, if you look at the questions that were asked in parliament yesterday, it says everything about the problem with this 24-hour cycle,” he said.

Criminal activity in Frankston has been a Coalition talking point during campaigning in Dunkley – which Labor holds by a 6.3 per cent margin – with Dutton telling Nine’s Today program that Victoria Police were burdened by applying resources to the 149 released detainees.

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Documents tabled in the Senate earlier this month revealed that of the 149 freed detainees, seven were previously convicted of murder or attempted murder, 37 of sexual offences, and 72 of assault and violent offending, kidnapping or armed robbery.

“I think one of the frustrations I suspect that Victoria Police have got is that their efforts are distracted away from the local response that the community here demands, [and are applying] resources to what’s a monumental stuff-up by the government of releasing 149 hardened criminals including sex offenders,” he said.

Right-wing political campaigning group Advance is spending nearly $300,000 in the Dunkley byelection in Victoria highlighting Labor’s decision-making on the High Court case.