Peter Dutton

The Honourable

Peter Dutton
Dutton in 2022
35th Leader of the Opposition
In office
30 May 2022 – 3 May 2025
Prime MinisterAnthony Albanese
DeputySussan Ley
Preceded byAnthony Albanese
Succeeded bySussan Ley
15th Leader of the Liberal Party
In office
30 May 2022 – 3 May 2025
DeputySussan Ley
Preceded byScott Morrison
Succeeded bySussan Ley
Previous offices 2004–⁠2022
57th Minister for Defence
In office
30 March 2021 – 23 May 2022
Prime MinisterScott Morrison
DeputyAndrew Hastie
Preceded byLinda Reynolds
Succeeded byRichard Marles
20th Leader of the House
In office
30 March 2021 – 23 May 2022
Prime MinisterScott Morrison
Preceded byChristian Porter
Succeeded byTony Burke
32nd Minister for Home Affairs
In office
20 December 2017 – 30 March 2021
Prime Minister
Preceded byJason Clare
Succeeded byKaren Andrews
32nd Minister for Immigration and Border Protection
In office
23 December 2014 – 21 August 2018
Prime Minister
Preceded byScott Morrison
Succeeded byDavid Coleman
41st Minister for Health
In office
18 September 2013 – 23 December 2014
Prime MinisterTony Abbott
Preceded byTanya Plibersek
Succeeded bySussan Ley
23rd Minister for Sport
In office
18 September 2013 – 23 December 2014
Prime MinisterTony Abbott
Preceded byDon Farrell
Succeeded bySussan Ley
8th Assistant Treasurer of Australia
In office
27 January 2006 – 3 December 2007
Prime MinisterJohn Howard
Preceded byMal Brough
Succeeded byChris Bowen
10th Minister for Workforce Participation
In office
26 October 2004 – 27 January 2006
Prime MinisterJohn Howard
Preceded byFran Bailey
Succeeded bySharman Stone
Member of the Australian Parliament
for Dickson
In office
10 November 2001 – 3 May 2025
Preceded byCheryl Kernot
Succeeded byAli France
Personal details
Born (1970-11-18) 18 November 1970 (age 55)
Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Political party
Spouse(s)
Kirilly Brumby
​
(m. 2003)​
Children3
EducationQueensland University of Technology (BBus)
Signature
WebsiteOfficial website
Police career
DepartmentQueensland Police
Allegiance Queensland
Years of service1990–1999
RankDetective Senior Constable

Peter Craig Dutton (born 18 November 1970) is an Australian politician. He was the 15th Leader of the Liberal Party and the 35th Leader of the Opposition from 2022 to 2025. Dutton led the Coalition to a landslide defeat at the 2025 federal election, and lost his seat of Dickson to Labor candidate Ali France, becoming the first federal Opposition Leader to lose their seat at an election.

Political career

Dutton has been a member of the Australian House of Representatives representing the Division of Dickson, Queensland since November 2001. From 2017 to 2018, he was the Minister for Home Affairs. He served as the Minister for Immigration and Border Protection from 2014 to 2017. He was also the Minister for Health and Sport from 2013 to 2014.

In May 2022, after the Liberal Party lost the 2022 election and Scott Morrison resigned as party leader, Dutton announced his candidacy for the party leadership. He was elected party leader unopposed on 30 May 2022 and became Opposition Leader shortly afterwards. He is the first Liberal leader to come from Queensland.

During his time as Opposition Leader, stories of Dutton's leadership of the Department of Home Affairs started to be publish. It was revealed that a 2020 report had uncovered serious issues with the department's detention approach, but Dutton had chosen not to act. In February 2024, the independent Richardson Review was published, which found some failures of Dutton's role as minister. It was revealed that under Dutton's leadership the department had made multi-million dollar contracts with companies suspected of criminal activity, including drug smuggling, corruption, and went against US sanctions. Dutton had personally got involved with the department to allow a criminal to stay in Australia, saying that it would be in the public interest.

Dutton led the Liberal-National Coalition to the 2025 election. He ran what was considered by numerous commentators to be a poor campaign. At the election on 3 May, the Coalition suffered its worst ever defeat at a federal election, losing at least 18 seats while Labor won an expanded majority. Dutton lost his own seat of Dickson, with Labor challenger Ali France defeating him on her third attempt.

Personal life

Dutton was born in Brisbane, Queensland. He was a police officer before he entered politics. He has been married twice and has three children.

On 13 March 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Dutton was diagnosed with COVID-19.

References

  1. ↑ "Dickson voters explain why Peter Dutton lost seat to Labor's Ali France". ABC.net. 4 May 2025. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
  2. ↑ "Dutton will run for Liberal leader, Tehan and Andrews consider tilt". Sydney Morning Herald. 22 May 2022.
  3. ↑ "Peter Dutton remains only candidate for Liberal leader, Sussan Ley and Jane Hume frontrunners for deputy". ABC News. 24 May 2022.
  4. ↑ "Peter Dutton elected as opposition leader". ABC News. 30 May 2022.
  5. ↑ "Extract Bad Cop Bad Cop: Peter Dutton's Strongman Politics". Australia Institute. 9 April 2024. Retrieved 10 September 2024.
  6. ↑ Karp, Paul; correspondent, Paul Karp Chief political (8 September 2023). "Home affairs under Peter Dutton was warned 'failing' immigration detention may have breached duty of care". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 21 February 2024. {{cite news}}: |last2= has generic name (help)
  7. ↑ Richardson, Dennis (10 October 2022). "Review of Integrity Concerns and Governance Arrangements for the Management of Regional Processing Administration by the Department of Home Affairs" (PDF). Department of Home Affairs. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 February 2024. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  8. ↑ Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (12 February 2024). "Review of Integrity Concerns and Governance Arrangements for the Management of Regional Processing Administration by the Department of Home Affairs". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Archived from the original on 16 February 2024. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  9. ↑ McKenzie, Parker (15 February 2024). "Scathing report puts Peter Dutton's Home Affairs tenure under scrutiny". The New Daily. Archived from the original on 15 February 2024. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
  10. ↑ Karp, Paul; correspondent, Paul Karp Chief political (13 February 2024). "Peter Dutton intervened to allow criminal to extend stay in Australia". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 16 February 2024. Retrieved 16 February 2024. {{cite news}}: |last2= has generic name (help)
  11. ↑ Truu, Maani (28 March 2025). "Campaign kicks off ahead of May 3 federal election, with lines drawn on cost of living and energy". ABC News. Archived from the original on 30 March 2025. Retrieved 6 April 2025.
  12. ↑ Savva, Niki (29 April 2025). "Dutton has led one of the worst election campaigns in living memory". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 4 May 2025.
  13. ↑ Tingle, Laura (4 May 2025). "This election result shows Labor learned a lesson that the Coalition did not". ABC News. Retrieved 4 May 2025.
  14. ↑ Melzer, Max (4 May 2025). "Veteran journalist Chris Uhlmann, Sky News' Andrew Clennell deliver brutal verdict on Coalition's 'worst' ever campaign and 'approaches to policy'". Sky News Australia. Retrieved 4 May 2025.
  15. ↑ Pal, Alasdair (3 May 2025). "Australia opposition leader Dutton loses seat in shock vote defeat". Reuters. Retrieved 4 May 2025.
  16. ↑ "Our Campaigns - Candidate - Peter Dutton". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
  17. ↑ Brinsden, Colin (14 March 2020). "Peter Dutton reveals when he contracted coronavirus". Seven Network. Retrieved 16 March 2020.

Other websites

Media related to Peter Dutton at Wikimedia Commons