‘You are the King Grub!’: Live TV clash spirals into political chaos
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Political controversies can erupt in the most unexpected ways, often turning routine disclosures into heated debates.
When financial dealings and high-stakes decisions collide, scrutiny is inevitable—especially when they involve key political figures.
A live TV clash reignited scrutiny over past financial moves, triggering accusations and heated exchanges between government and opposition.
Political tensions flared on live television as Sunrise host Natalie Barr pressed Liberal frontbencher Jane Hume.
She questioned whether Peter Dutton’s share dealings during the global financial crisis were ‘suss’.
The heated exchange saw Employment and Workplace Relations Minister Murray Watt branded ‘King Grub’ by Shadow Finance Minister Jane Hume, escalating the already fiery discussion.
With an election looming, a forensic review of Mr Dutton’s parliamentary declarations uncovered new details.
He had disclosed a series of share purchases in major banks just before Labor announced a $4 billion bank bailout in 2009.
Mr Dutton dismissed the allegations as ‘muckraking’, accusing Labor’s ‘dirt unit’ of digging through his financial history to manufacture a scandal.
‘Go back to 2008, 2009. Peter Dutton hasn’t bought shares, apparently according to the records for three years,’ Ms Barr said.
‘Then he advised he bought shares in three big banks at a very low price and bang, Bob’s your uncle. The Government does a big bailout and the shares spike.’
‘Then he sells at a very high price. Can you say that is not suss?’
Senator Hume pushed back, arguing that Mr Dutton was in opposition at the time and had not been briefed on Labor’s plans before the announcement.
‘This is a smear campaign from a desperate government that have run out of ideas and think they are going to lose the election,’ she said.
‘So they’ve made these accusations under the shroud of parliamentary privilege from Senate estimates, because they’ve run out of ideas.
‘They’ve run out of excuses. They’ve run out of time. They are the grubbiest people. Murray you are the King Grub!’
Analysis of Mr Dutton’s disclosures showed that between October 2008 and March 2009, he updated his register of interest 13 times to reflect share trades.
While campaigning in Sydney, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was asked if Labor was suggesting the Liberal leader had engaged in insider trading.
‘That’s a matter for Peter Dutton to explain,’ he responded.
Mr Dutton maintained that he had no access to sensitive government information and was not privy to GFC-related briefings.
A spokesperson for Mr Dutton criticised Labor, saying: ‘If the Albanese Government’s dirt unit spent more time being focused on fixing Labor’s cost of living crisis rather than obsessing about Peter Dutton, Australians might be better off.’
Senator Hume claimed she was not aware of whether shadow cabinet had been informed about the bailout ahead of time.
‘I can’t tell you that. I don’t know I wasn’t in government at the time. I can assure you that Peter Dutton has done nothing improper here. Nothing improper,’ she said.
Mr Watt insisted that Mr Dutton still had unanswered questions regarding the timing of his share trades.
‘How many shares did he trade?’ he asked.
‘Miraculously the day before the government of the time bailed out the banks. How much profit did he make on those share trades?’
‘Most importantly was he aware that the government was about to bailout the banks when he made the share trades.’
‘He put out a tricky, vague statement yesterday.’
‘This is suss, Nat.’
‘These are legitimate questions asking about someone who wants to be the Prime Minister of Australia.’
‘We’ve seen another story break today about the $30 million dollars of property buying and selling that Peter Dutton has been engaged in whilst in parliament.’
‘Maybe that’s why he doesn’t understand the cost of living pressures that people are under. Maybe that’s why.’
Ms Barr acknowledged that Mr Dutton had declared most of his property transactions, prompting Mr Watt to point out that some were declared late.
‘Keep mentioning his name, Murray, every time our vote goes up. You’re disgusting,’ Senator Hume fired back.
Watch the full video of the incident below to learn more.
In a previous story, Weekend Sunrise saw the return of a well-known figure, bringing excitement to longtime viewers.
The familiar face’s comeback stirred discussions among fans, adding to the buzz surrounding the show.
Read more about their return and what it means for the program.
With political tensions reaching a boiling point, the debate over Peter Dutton’s financial dealings shows no signs of cooling down.
Do you think these accusations will impact his chances in the next election? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
When financial dealings and high-stakes decisions collide, scrutiny is inevitable—especially when they involve key political figures.
A live TV clash reignited scrutiny over past financial moves, triggering accusations and heated exchanges between government and opposition.
Political tensions flared on live television as Sunrise host Natalie Barr pressed Liberal frontbencher Jane Hume.
She questioned whether Peter Dutton’s share dealings during the global financial crisis were ‘suss’.
The heated exchange saw Employment and Workplace Relations Minister Murray Watt branded ‘King Grub’ by Shadow Finance Minister Jane Hume, escalating the already fiery discussion.
With an election looming, a forensic review of Mr Dutton’s parliamentary declarations uncovered new details.
He had disclosed a series of share purchases in major banks just before Labor announced a $4 billion bank bailout in 2009.
Mr Dutton dismissed the allegations as ‘muckraking’, accusing Labor’s ‘dirt unit’ of digging through his financial history to manufacture a scandal.
‘Go back to 2008, 2009. Peter Dutton hasn’t bought shares, apparently according to the records for three years,’ Ms Barr said.
‘Then he advised he bought shares in three big banks at a very low price and bang, Bob’s your uncle. The Government does a big bailout and the shares spike.’
‘Then he sells at a very high price. Can you say that is not suss?’
Senator Hume pushed back, arguing that Mr Dutton was in opposition at the time and had not been briefed on Labor’s plans before the announcement.
‘This is a smear campaign from a desperate government that have run out of ideas and think they are going to lose the election,’ she said.
‘So they’ve made these accusations under the shroud of parliamentary privilege from Senate estimates, because they’ve run out of ideas.
‘They’ve run out of excuses. They’ve run out of time. They are the grubbiest people. Murray you are the King Grub!’
Analysis of Mr Dutton’s disclosures showed that between October 2008 and March 2009, he updated his register of interest 13 times to reflect share trades.
While campaigning in Sydney, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was asked if Labor was suggesting the Liberal leader had engaged in insider trading.
‘That’s a matter for Peter Dutton to explain,’ he responded.
Mr Dutton maintained that he had no access to sensitive government information and was not privy to GFC-related briefings.
A spokesperson for Mr Dutton criticised Labor, saying: ‘If the Albanese Government’s dirt unit spent more time being focused on fixing Labor’s cost of living crisis rather than obsessing about Peter Dutton, Australians might be better off.’
Senator Hume claimed she was not aware of whether shadow cabinet had been informed about the bailout ahead of time.
‘I can’t tell you that. I don’t know I wasn’t in government at the time. I can assure you that Peter Dutton has done nothing improper here. Nothing improper,’ she said.
Mr Watt insisted that Mr Dutton still had unanswered questions regarding the timing of his share trades.
‘How many shares did he trade?’ he asked.
‘Miraculously the day before the government of the time bailed out the banks. How much profit did he make on those share trades?’
‘Most importantly was he aware that the government was about to bailout the banks when he made the share trades.’
‘He put out a tricky, vague statement yesterday.’
‘This is suss, Nat.’
‘These are legitimate questions asking about someone who wants to be the Prime Minister of Australia.’
‘We’ve seen another story break today about the $30 million dollars of property buying and selling that Peter Dutton has been engaged in whilst in parliament.’
‘Maybe that’s why he doesn’t understand the cost of living pressures that people are under. Maybe that’s why.’
Ms Barr acknowledged that Mr Dutton had declared most of his property transactions, prompting Mr Watt to point out that some were declared late.
‘Keep mentioning his name, Murray, every time our vote goes up. You’re disgusting,’ Senator Hume fired back.
Watch the full video of the incident below to learn more.
In a previous story, Weekend Sunrise saw the return of a well-known figure, bringing excitement to longtime viewers.
The familiar face’s comeback stirred discussions among fans, adding to the buzz surrounding the show.
Read more about their return and what it means for the program.
With political tensions reaching a boiling point, the debate over Peter Dutton’s financial dealings shows no signs of cooling down.
Do you think these accusations will impact his chances in the next election? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
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