Anthony Albanese, Peter Dutton condemn Greens’ Anzac Day dance party

Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton have condemned the Greens for planning to hold a dance party political fundraiser on Anzac Day in Perth.

The minor party is aiming to raise thousands of dollars with the event at the Old Habits bar and tattoo parlour, as The West Australian revealed on Monday.

The Opposition Leader condemned the Greens’ fundraiser as “completely inappropriate” and reckless.

“I think it reflects the poor values that the Greens stand for,” he said.

“I just say to every young Australian who’s proud of their grandfather who fought in the war, proud of a cousin who’s serving in the Australian Defence Force now — understand that the Greens have complete contempt for our Defence Force personnel.

“They want to strip money from the Australian Defence Force who keep us safe day and night here.”

Mr Albanese said Anzac Day was “not a day for normal business as usual” and the dance party was not appropriate.

“Anzac Day is a day of respect for the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice, but also for us to respect the men and women who wear our uniform historically, but today as well,” he told reporters in Bridgewater, in the Tasmanian marginal seat of Lyons.

“And I know that Australians in their millions will pause on that day to say those three sacred words, lest we forget.”

He plans to attend the national Anzac Day service at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra, and has invited Mr Dutton to join him.

Perth MP Patrick Gorman, whose Greens opponent Sophie McNeil’s campaign is set to benefit from the Anzac Day dance party, has called on the minor party to cancel the event and apologise.

Tickets for the five-hour event range from $30 to $1000 with “optional donation” to the Greens.

The event invitation plugs it as “a night when the dancefloor becomes the platform for radical change” and urges attendees to “make history by electing Sophie Greer to the Federal seat of Perth and re-electing Jordon Steele-John to the Senate”.