Opinion: Dutton’s latest gaffe is death knell

Peter Dutton is a good example of how some politicians are promoted far beyond their capabilities

FOR anyone who wants to know what is wrong with politics in Australia, I present exhibit A: Immigration Minister Peter Dutton.

Not that Mr Dutton is all that is wrong in our political system, but he is a good example of how some politicians are promoted far beyond their capabilities, then somehow manage to stay there.

Mr Dutton's lattest gaffe was calling a journalist a "mad f***ing witch" in an email, then mistakenly sending the email to the journalist in question.

Prior to that, he has made been derided for:

- Overseeing the "Border Farce" episode in Melbourne when an operation asking random people for ID was abandoned.

- Joking with ex-Pm Tony Abbott about the plight of people on climate change-threatened islands while a live microphone dangled overhead.

- Last week refusing for a number of days to let the family of a dying Pakistani man to visit the man in Australia for a final farewell. He eventually reversed the decision.

There are some people in politics whose influence or control of numbers seem to make them safe from the standards applied to many others. It is not a situation particular to this government either - the Labor Party has had many similar characters.

Surely Mr Dutton can't continue to survive.

Originally published as Opinion: Dutton’s latest gaffe is death knell