Dutton pulls out of fundraisers a day after leaving Queensland for billionaire’s event

But guests were offered the opportunity in the email to book for the re-scheduled event on Tuesday next week.

Dutton also pulled out of the Thursday lunchtime fundraiser in Melbourne event before his attendance at Hemmes’ $100 million Vaucluse mansion was publicly reported.

Contacted on Thursday afternoon, a spokesman for Dutton said only that “he is in Brisbane” and declined to say why he had decided not to attend the Liberal Party fundraiser.

Dutton gave a press conference on Tuesday morning at Queensland’s Emergency Management Centre in Brisbane but Treasurer Jim Chalmers said the opposition leader left a briefing on the cyclone’s progress at the centre early. Dutton then flew to Sydney for a community event and a fundraiser at Hemmes’ waterfront home, Hermitage.

Chalmers said reports of Dutton’s decision to leave Queensland were “very disappointing”.

“That’s for Peter Dutton to explain. I went to that briefing on Tuesday at [the emergency management centre in] Kedron and he was leaving as I was arriving,” Chalmers said on Queensland radio station 4BC on Thursday morning.

“But I assure all your listeners and I assure you that our focus has been on the disaster. I hope his has been as well, because we all need all shoulders to the wheel. Every level of government, both sides of politics, need to be doing what we can.”

Dutton’s spokesman confirmed to News Limited that he had attended the fundraiser and said he had gone to previous briefings on the cyclone.

The opposition leader’s electorate of Dickson, on the northwestern fringe of Brisbane, is forecast to be in Cyclone Alfred’s path. Chalmers’ electorate of Rankin is also in the cyclone’s path. The treasurer was in Canberra on Monday for a cabinet meeting and flew to Brisbane that night.

In an interview with 4BC, on Wednesday morning, Dutton said he had not fully prepared his home for the cyclone but would be helping relatives in the area that day. “I haven’t taped up the windows, I haven’t been that organised, but it’s something we should consider, actually,” Dutton said.

“I’ve got an elderly aunt who lives not too far away from us, so going to do some sandbagging at her place later on today,” Dutton said.

Queensland Labor senator Murray Watt slammed Dutton’s decision to fly to Sydney. “It’s surprising that when Peter Dutton’s own community was filling sandbags, he was filling Liberal Party money bags at a Sydney harbourside mansion,” Watt said. “Mr Dutton owes Queenslanders an explanation.”

Community independent candidate in Dutton’s seat of Dickson, Ellie Smith, said the opposition leader had “ditched the people of Dickson…to fly to a harbourside fundraising event in Sydney”.

“We’re facing a one-in-50-year flood and cyclone disaster here in Dickson, yet Mr Dutton’s eyes are on donors and dollars in Sydney and Melbourne. His feet should be on the ground here in Dickson.”

Speaking from Canberra’s situation room, where Albanese said he would be based for a number of days, the prime minister pledged Commonwealth support to Queensland and NSW while dismissing his interest in election timing.

“At the worst of times, we always see the best of Australian character. I said yesterday that there were no political parties in this process and there are no borders – tropical Cyclone Alfred certainly does not recognise any borders, and nor should the government’s response,” Albanese said.

“This isn’t a time … for party politics. I’m just focused on my job in governing and that’s something I’ve been focused on since the 23 May 2022.”

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Albanese announced $1 million in federal funds for affected councils via recovery grants and said the Commonwealth had delivered 310,000 sandbags. Sixty Australian Defence Force personnel and 30 high clearance vehicles are being positioned to go to Queensland to support police and SES volunteers.

The government anticipates there will three separate hazards: a storm surge and high tides and winds along coastal communities, then rainfall and potential flash flooding into the weekend.

“Because [the storm] slowed up somewhat, that will now be at a later time. That’s not all good news, it is important to stress it is still anticipated, this will cross into land,” Albanese said.

“A risk is, of course, that in slowing up that it increases in its … intensity, but at this stage it is still predicted to be category two.”

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