The Carr–Peters scandal is an ongoing diplomatic and political scandal in Australasia, between Bob Carr, formerly Australian minister for Foreign Affairs and premier of New South Wales, and Winston Peters, New Zealand's current deputy prime minister and minister of foreign affairs. The scandal began with an initial incident on 2 May 2024, when Peters appeared on RNZ to discuss proposals to join Pillar 2 of AUKUS, a military pact Carr has strongly opposed, and allegedly defamed Carr by calling him "nothing more than a Chinese puppet",[1] among other now-redacted insults.[2][3]
A transcript of the interview and articles it spawned were rapidly censored after Carr accused Peters of libel. Peters stood by his statement about Carr at questions for oral answer in Parliament.[4] After mulling over legal action, Carr announced later the same day would indeed be suing Peters.[5] Peters then ridiculed such threats and compared Carr to Chumbawamba, an English band which had not followed through on threats to sue Peters for using their song 'Tubthumping' for political purposes without permission.[6] In New Zealand there have been calls from the opposition for Peters to be stood down as a minister. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has refused calls to dismiss Peters, his crucial coalition government partner, and has said that he was sure Carr "understands the rough and tumble of politics".[7]
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