Peter Dutton has been ridiculed as the “minister for culture wars” after he took exception to a morning tea where staff wore rainbow clothing to celebrate diversity and inclusion. The defence minister on Friday told the Sydney Morning Herald he had ordered the defence force chief, Angus Campbell, to issue a department-wide note ordering events “such as morning teas where personnel are encouraged to wear particular clothes” to “cease”. “This has Peter Dutton written all over it, the federal minister for culture wars.”The directive followed an event on Monday marking the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Interphobia and Transphobia. A note sent earlier this year encouraged defence staff to mark the day with morning teas, wearing visible rainbow clothing or ally pins. Dutton, who took over the defence portfolio in March, told the Herald he had ordered Campbell to send the note to defence staff in a bid to stop “these woke agendas”.

Source: The Guardian May 21, 2021 09:38 UTC