Opposition Leader Peter Dutton took offence at a meme posted by Victorian Labor which mocked him and his wife. (AAP: Russell Freeman)
In short:
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has ordered Victorian Labor to take down a meme that mocked Opposition Leader Peter Dutton and his wife.
Mr Dutton said his party would not target Mr Albanese's partner with a "public smear".
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has ordered Victorian Labor to remove a meme mocking Peter Dutton and his wife that was posted to social media.
The meme, which has since been removed, featured a photo of Mr Dutton and his wife Kirilly taken from a Courier-Mail article under the headline "He is not a monster".
The meme adds the line: "Justifying dating your new partner to your friends who don't like him."
The meme shared by Victorian Labor has now been deleted. (X: Michael Sukkar)
On Monday, Mr Dutton responded to reporting of the meme on social media, saying the Liberal Party he led would never target Anthony Albanese's partner, Jodie Haydon.
"I respect and like Jodie but she is not an elected official and will not be the subject of humiliation, attack ads or public smear by the Liberal Party," he said.
"I would ask the PM to equally respect my wife."
Mr Dutton was backed by Victorian Liberal MP Michael Sukkar, who attacked Victorian Labor for posting the meme.
"All they can do is desperately try to distract from their criminal incompetence," he posted on X.
Victorian Liberal senator James Paterson described the meme as "grubby" and a "nasty personal smear" on X.
A spokesperson for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the meme was removed from Victorian Labor's social media.
"When the Tweet was drawn to his attention, the Prime Minister demanded it be taken down. Families should be off limits," the spokesperson said.
Federal Labor MP Jason Clare said the meme was inappropriate.
"I think it was stupid and it was wrong. A family should be off-limits. We're on the ballot paper, not our partners," he said.
"That's why when the prime minister saw it he demanded it be ripped down, and I'm glad it has."
Victorian Labor State Secretary Steve Staikos has been contacted for comment.