A disconnect between campaign headquarters and Peter Dutton’s travelling staff goes to the heart of the party’s most catastrophic loss at a federal election.
Peter Dutton in the ABC studio for the leaders’ debate on April 16. Matt Roberts
Two days before Peter Dutton’s election campaign launch in mid-April, his draft speaking notes included what was intended to be a bombshell announcement touted internally as the “biggest tax reform since the GST”.
Liberal senator and campaign spokesman James Paterson and senior operatives at the party’s headquarters in western Sydney hoped they had convinced Dutton and his staff to officially commit to index the income tax brackets.
John KehoeEconomics editorJohn Kehoe is economics editor at Parliament House, Canberra. He writes on economics, politics and business. John was Washington correspondent covering Donald Trump’s first election. He joined the Financial Review in 2008 from Treasury. Connect with John on Twitter. Email John at jkehoe@afr.com
