On Wednesday night Opposition Leader Peter Dutton made a rare appearance in the seat of Kooyong, joining Liberal candidate Amelia Hamer at the Tower Hotel in Hawthorn East — a venue that has become known for its vocal anti-Monique Ryan campaigning with an enormous anti-Monique Ryan sign mounted on the pub.
It marked just his second visit to the seat the Liberals are eager to win back.
Despite the significance of the visit, the man hoping to become prime minister did not take questions from the media.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton and Kooyong candidate Amelia Hamer visited The Tower hotel in Hawthorn East in Melbourne.Credit: James Brickwood
This masthead was present when Dutton arrived at the venue, delayed by anti-nuclear protesters stationed outside the pub and dressed in hazmat suits.
I attempted to approach Dutton to ask several questions — most pressingly, for his response to reports of neo-Nazis impersonating Liberal campaigners in Kooyong, which dominated local headlines yesterday.
However, a media advisor from Dutton’s office informed me that questions would not be permitted, as the event was not a press conference.
It appears media attendees were invited solely for photos and vision, with no opportunity to engage the opposition leader directly.
The visit to Kooyong was part of a broader blitz across Melbourne’s marginal seats, with Dutton also stopping in Dunkley and Aston on Wednesday.
After one of the most dramatic days in Kooyong, the opposition leader came, smiled, and left — all without taking a single question.
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