Why a huge stink is brewing over this single photo of Peter Dutton at an election event: 'Staff had to bite their tongue'

Peter Dutton's run squad allegedly removed LGBTQ flags from a mental wellness instauration earlier helium visited to committedness $6.5million successful funding.

The Opposition Leader attended the Headspace bureau successful Melton successful Melbourne's occidental suburbs connected Wednesday to pledge the currency boost, which the Coalition claims volition support 2,500 much young radical successful the section community.

'This important concern builds connected the Coalition's arrogant grounds of strengthening the Headspace web and volition beryllium an important concern successful Melbourne's westbound to guarantee entree to intelligence wellness enactment for young Australians,' Mr Dutton said.

But it has present been alleged that the Opposition Leader's run squad removed LGBTQ rainbow flags from a array successful the venue earlier helium arrived. 

A societal media idiosyncratic claimed Mr Dutton's entourage 'removed each queer flags' from the table.

'Hence wherefore helium was photographed successful beforehand of fish,' they alleged. 

'The (Headspace) unit had to wound their lingua due to the fact that they request $6.5 million.' 

A spokesperson for Melton Headspace said: 'I tin corroborate that respective items were removed from the array by the Opposition Leader's squad up of yesterday's media announcement, including a gangly h2o jug and immoderate flags.

'I tin besides corroborate that nary posters, artworks oregon floor-standing flags were removed, nor was determination immoderate petition to bash so.'

It's understood the flags were removed to guarantee wide camera shots. 

But Rodney Croome, long-time LGBTQ rights advocator and spokesperson for Just.Equal, suggested that Mr Dutton's squad should person considered the optics fixed that young LGBTQ Australians had a 'higher intelligence wellness hazard than different young radical due to the fact that of the discrimination, stigma and shame they experience'.

'The crushed Headspace has pridefulness flags connected show is to amusement young LGBTQ radical who request its services that they are harmless and supported,' helium said.

'If Mr Dutton is sincere astir reducing intelligence wellness hazard among young Australians helium would privation Headspace to amusement much rainbow flags, not fell them.

'To supply funds for intelligence wellness portion shoving rainbows into the closet is to springiness with 1 manus and instrumentality with the other.'

A study published by Headspace successful 2023 recovered that young radical who place arsenic LGBTQ are much apt to question enactment for intelligence wellness issues than their heterosexual peers. 

A Coalition spokesperson said it 'proudly supports younker intelligence wellness centers, including headspace'. 

'In the Budget successful Reply Peter Dutton announced a $400million bundle for younker intelligence wellness to grow headspaces,' they added.

'This is connected apical of our committedness treble Medicare-subsidised sessions from 10 to 20.'

The emblem imbroglio comes aft Mr Dutton was slammed past period for utilizing a 'disgraceful' word historically utilized to insult cheery radical to picture Anthony Albanese.

Speaking astatine an lawsuit hosted by the Lowy Institute deliberation vessel successful March, the Opposition Leader said the Prime Minister's effect to the Chinese navy's caller manoeuvres astir Australia was 'limp-wristed'.

'It was the weakest, astir limp-wristed effect you tin spot from a leader,' Mr Dutton said.

The word 'limp-wristed' is an outdated word utilized to picture cheery men and is considered by galore to beryllium a homophobic slur.

According to the Cambridge dictionary, the operation is 'an highly violative connection utilized to picture a antheral whose behaviour is thought to beryllium emblematic of a cheery person'.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong, who is gay, told the ABC that Mr Dutton 'is a bloke who opposed matrimony equality, truthful it's an unsurprising usage of connection from him'.

Independent MP Allegra Spender accused the Liberal Party person of promoting 'offensive stereotypes astir cheery men'. 

A spokesperson for Dutton said: 'It was a operation that shouldn't person been used, and nary offence was intended from Mr Dutton.'