Sandra Sully has weighed in on Peter Dutton’s son’s “white powder” picture after critics accused her of dealing a “cheap blow” to the opposition leader.
The veteran Channel 10 news presenter shared a news article showing 18-year-old Tom Dutton facing the camera and holding the clear bag on a balcony in Surfers Paradise.
‘Birthday gift. Hello, how are you doing?, the caption said.
Initially, Sully did not comment on the article beyond quoting the article’s headline to his 120,000 followers on X, formerly Twitter.
But a follower accused her of scoring a ‘cheap shot’ and lacking ‘class’.
“No cheap shots,” Sully replied.
“Just retweeting the story from its source.”
However, that answer did not satisfy everyone.
Channel 10 news presenter Sandra Sully (pictured) shared a news article showing 18-year-old Tom Dutton facing the camera and holding the clear bag on a balcony in Surfers Paradise.
Sandra Sully initially did not comment on the article beyond quoting the article’s headline to her 120,000 followers on X, formerly Twitter. The photo shows the screenshot in question by Tom Dutton.
‘And do you think that will help his son or harm his son?’, responded one follower.
‘You could have easily chosen to ignore that, but you didn’t!’
Sully responded by saying, ‘What if you pretend the story doesn’t appear in a major newspaper? #Silly.’
The photo of Dutton’s eldest son was first shared on Snapchat before it was captured and leaked to the Herald Sun on Monday.
The photo has since been deleted.
Daily Mail Australia does not suggest the white substance was drugs.
The Opposition Leader’s office has declined to comment on the matter, issuing a one-sentence statement saying it is a “private Dutton family matter”.
Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek previously defended Dutton’s son.
Sandra Sully responded to her critics by saying, “What happens if you pretend the story doesn’t appear in a major newspaper?” #Silly
Plibersek expressed empathy for the families of public figures after being asked about the matter on Channel Nine’s Today program on Tuesday morning.
‘I have no comment at all. “Peter Dutton is a public figure, but his son is not,” he said.
Host Karl Stefanovic continued to question her about the photo.
‘Can you imagine the shame of the poor child?’ he said.
‘I mean, his father is already the leader of the opposition… he’s an ex-policeman… and (Tom) ends up on the front page of the newspaper.
“Children have to suffer with high-profile parents, right?”
Plibersek, a mother of three and former deputy opposition leader, admitted it was not “an easy life” for politicians’ children.
“There’s nothing more embarrassing than going out with your mother and being stopped in stores by people who want to chat,” she said.
‘It’s not an easy life. We enter public life and we choose it. Our families don’t choose it, that’s for sure.’
Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek declined to comment on the matter, saying: “Peter Dutton is a public figure, but his son is not.”
Victorian National Senator Bridget McKenzie also appeared on Tuesday’s Today show but had yet to speak to Dutton since the photo scandal.
He reiterated that it was “a problem for the Dutton family.”
Labour’s Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth also refrained from taking political advantage of the incident, saying “families are recruits for politics.”
Snapchat is popular among young people because posts often disappear once read. Recipients can take screenshots of posts, but the person who shared them will be notified.
Dutton has two sons, Tom and Harry, with his wife Kirilly, as well as his daughter Rebecca, from a previous relationship.
Last year he told ABC’s Kitchen Cabinet how being a police officer before entering politics had influenced his parenting style, admitting he was stricter than most.
“Even in the way you raise your children… You know, not letting them out of your sight because you’ve seen some horrible cases where children have been kidnapped or assaulted,” she told Annabel Crabb during an interview at her home.
As part of that surveillance, he did not allow his children to use public bathrooms when they were out.