Steve Price: Opposition Leader Peter Dutton is the right fit for PM

“Tough times call for tough leaders” and Anthony Albanese should be very worried as Opposition Leader Peter Dutton calmly works his way towards the big job.

Peter Dutton would be a ‘tougher’ prime minister than Anthony Albanese.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has this week arrived as an alternative Prime Minister.

He’s electable and Prime Minister Albanese should be very worried.

Dutton has changed both his demeanour and appearance and is calmy working his way towards the big job.

We might be just a year into the new Labor Government but clearly Dutton is prepared to play the long game. The times suit him and his style of politics.

We all know bad news sells and Australia has plenty of that right now.

Just as Tony Abbott came off the back of the disastrous Kevin Rudd Government and won office 10 years ago this September, history might be about to repeat.

The similarities are glaringly obvious, and I suspect Peter Dutton is reading from the Abbott play book.

Peter Dutton’s time has come, and there are three key issues playing right into his hands. Picture: Martin Ollman

Back in 2013 after six years of the chaotic Rudd, then Julia Gillard, then Rudd again, the big issue was border control.

Rudd – especially during his chaotic first term - and his team were unable to deal with illegal boat arrivals and Australians voted to elect the tough as nails Abbott to stop the people smugglers.

Operation Sovereign Borders was established, and naval assets used to turn around the rickety fishing boats, saving lives, disrupting the smugglers and eventually dismantling their operations.

As I pointed out, bad news sells. Abbott won 88 seats, Rudd was thrown out and consigned to the dustbin of history until PM Albanese inexplicably made him our Ambassador to the US.

Tough times call for tough leaders and the Australian voters have a great track record in working that out. No one sees Anthony Albanese as a tough leader and because of his personal history never can be.

A radical leftie from the inner suburbs of Sydney Albanese is more invested in being loved for his social conscience and largesse to the welfare state.

Dutton by contrast is a former Queensland police officer, and revealed this week he had worked as a detective on numerous sexual assault cases.

Given what’s unfolded in Canberra this week that’s probably a handy thing to have on your CV.

If Dutton was previously seen as a plodding, bald-headed Queenslander and ultra- Conservative, he’s now the Liberals’ not-so-secret weapon.

This week he showed his political toughness taking less than 24 hours to eject Victorian Senator David Van from the Liberal Party room after allegations of sexual groping that Van has denied.

Dutton’s time has come, and there are three key issues playing right into his hands.

First up, Australia is more than likely headed for a recession and the pain that brings with it, including job losses, people unable to pay their mortgage and losing their homes and crippling energy bills.

The last recession we had, Paul Keating was Treasurer and famously remarked it was the recession “we had to have.” Can anyone imagine the current PM being that blunt or honest? I don’t think so.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese should be very worried. Picture: Martin Ollman

Voters will be keen to blame someone for this economic distress and with 11 of the 12 rate- rises happening since Labor was elected last May the finger will firmly be pointed at them.

Given the next Federal election needs to be held on or before May 2025 things might improve economically by then but they could just as easily go the other way.

Second, we have the up-coming referendum on the Voice, with polling this week showing the No vote surging especially in the states with large Indigenous populations — Queensland, WA and South Australia.

The PM has tied his job to this referendum passing. Albanese appears unable to read the mood of wider Australia which is no surprise given his ties to inner Sydney.

Dutton smartly has agreed Indigenous recognition in the Constitution is sensible but that the Voice is a mysterious forum with the vibe idea that average Australians either don’t understand or don’t agree with.

Dutton, who represents a seat west of Brisbane where I once interviewed him in the local pub, gets the suburbs, where Albanese doesn’t.

Thirdly, the Albanese government’s Green/Left obsession with turning their backs on coal and gas and trying to convince working Australians that solar and wind will do the job.

Blind Freddy knows that’s a delusional dream which is simply driving up the costs of electricity and damaging Australia’s one big competitive edge on the global stage over our competitors – massive reserves of fossil fuels.

Dutton has a cost-of-living black hole, a sinking referendum and a sensible approach to energy – what more could he ask for?

He almost has all his ducks in a row and sniffs a scandal with the Brittany Higgins pay out links to senior Labor figures.

But — and this is a big problem for the Queenslander — he has an under-performing front bench and desperately needs a strong prominent Victorian to round out his team.

Susan Ley doesn’t cut it as his deputy and Shadow Treasurer Angus Taylor is a major disappointment that Labor takes great delight in belittling day after day.

At the last election the Teals did major damage to the Liberals especially in Victoria with the major scalp former Treasurer Josh Frydenberg.

If Peter Dutton has truly reformed himself as I think he has then he needs Frydenberg by his side and he can’t wait until the next election.

Find him a seat, win a by-election and make a real contest of the next poll.

Australians deserve it.

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DISLIKES

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• Road tolls around Melbourne jump due to inflation hitting motorists hip pockets yet again.