The Deputy Prime Minister and former Minister of Defense, who last week revealed their “secret” friendship, exchanged jokes about Today as Peter Dutton claims to be the next leader of the Liberal Party.
Richard Marles and Peter Dutton exchanged teasing as they appeared together on breakfast television amid revelations of a “secret” and an unlikely friendship.
The Deputy Prime Minister began by taking the opportunity to wish Dutton the best as he ran for the next Liberal Party leader.
“First of all, I can seriously say with Peter that it is a very important thing to lead one of the government parties and it is an important moment in Peter’s life to lead the Liberal Party,” Marles told Today Host Karl Stefanovic Friday. .
“I really want to congratulate him and wish him the best.
“Not so good, but at this initial moment I wish him all the best.”
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Stefanovic then questioned whether Marles maintained his previous comments that Western Australian Labor Prime Minister Mark McGowan was “right” to say that Dutton “was not so smart”.
“Are you having these comments or are you a little more charming now?” Stefanovic said.
“Look, Mark McGowan makes sense, that’s what I’d say,” Marles replied.
The interview came after the likely next leader of the Liberal Party was attacked by several high-profile Labor representatives in recent days.
Labor MP Tanya Plibersek was forced to apologize to Mr Dutton on Thursday after she compared her appearance to the evil Harry Potter Voldemort.
Mr Dutton later revealed that “he was not bald by choice” and that he suffered from a skin condition that caused his hair to fall out.
When Stefanovic asked Mr. Dutton to explain more about his medical condition, he explained that he had been diagnosed with a form of alopecia.
Mr Dutton used it as an opportunity to attack Mr Marles, saying: “Richard has everything for him, he’s smart, he has hair, he’s sarcastic. He basically has no idea.”
“But we love him anyway, here he is,” he added.
The brazen exchange follows the couple last week revealing that they enjoy a “secret” friendship.
“The dirty secret is that we’re really friends,” Marles told Stefanovic last Friday.
“Peter has a terrible policy. I really hope he loses,” Marles continued.
“I like Peter and we’re good friends.”