Madonna King: How should Peter Dutton be remembered?

Wherever the blame lands, Peter Dutton lost this election, more so than his party, writes Madonna King. His unpopularity might even have stopped stars of tomorrow from winning a seat. But what will his legacy be?

How will Peter Dutton be remembered? Will he, in 20 years when we might be powered by nuclear energy, be considered its early father? GST was on the table for more than a decade before it was adopted.

Or will he be remembered for negotiating AUKUS, or cancelling the visas of thousands of non-citizen criminals with convictions for assault and sex crimes, armed robbery and domestic violence?

Or, in a decade’s time, will Peter Dutton be remembered as the worst-performing federal Liberal Party leader, in history?

If that’s the case, he will be slotted in with those other federal political peculiarities sent to Canberra from Queensland – Joh Bjelke-Petersen for his ill-fated Joh for PM push, Clive Palmer, Pauline Hanson, and more successful and loved characters like Bob Katter Sr?

Certainly Dutton’s strength in defence and home affairs is likely to be applauded in years to come, more than his political leadership.

But here’s a pertinent point.

Australia's Opposition Leader Peter Dutton waves after conceding defeat in the general election to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. (Photo by Patrick Hamilton / AFP)

Julia Gillard is held in higher public esteem now than when she exited Parliament, despite her work on the NDIS and that memorable feminist speech that our daughters know by heart. It’s the work she’s done since Parliament, including as chair of the Global Partnership for Education and Beyond Blue, which has lifted both her legacy and popularity.

Just consider other former leaders.

We remember Gough Whitlam and his dismissal, but also his role in sewering Western Sydney.

Malcolm Fraser for losing his pants in Memphis, but also for bringing down Gough Whitlam.

We remember silver bodgie Bob Hawke’s warning to bosses not to be ‘bums’ after Australia 11’s 1983 American Cup win, but also the prices and wages award. Paul Keating delivered us super, Mabo, and the recession he said we had to have (plus a few other choice phrases).

John Howard won support for gun law reform, and was loved a bit and loathed a lot over WorkChoices.

The list goes on. Kevin Rudd’s apology to the Stolen Generations and other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Tony Abbott eating a raw onion, Malcolm Turnbull for both prolixity and his support for same-sex marriage, and Scott Morrison for leading through Covid, but never holding a hose.

Anthony Albanese’s exit is still to come, but now in 2025, he’s delivered Labor a win for the ages. Turning the page, the next chapter might smash that legacy.

Of course, Peter Dutton didn’t make it to the prime ministerial office, but that historical lens also provides a take on opposition leaders.

Kim Beazley’s best speech is widely considered his concession speech. Bill Hayden believed ‘a drover’s dog’ could beat Fraser’s Liberal Party. The photograph of Alexander Downer in tights will never leave me.

Or Latham’s thuggish handshake with John Howard; a defining movement of his 2004 bid for the top office. Bill Shorten, who many argue would have been a better prime minister than opposition leader, lost the unlosable 2019 election.

So did Peter Dutton blow himself up by going nuclear? Or has he planted a seed in what will later be written into history books as a courageous but costly decision?

The party will soon pick a new leader, as it simultaneously picks at the electoral carcass that is left, wondering what was the main factor in last weekend’s drubbing. Was it the leader? The policies? The polling? The candidates? The backflips?

Wherever the blame lands, Peter Dutton lost this election, more so than his party. His unpopularity might even have stopped stars of tomorrow, like Ryan’s Liberal candidate barrister Maggie Forrest, from winning a seat.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton concedes defeat alongside his sons Harry and Tom. (Photo by Dan Peled/Getty Images)

This week, Dutton started his post-leader life in the right way, indicating a graceful exit. Will he end up working for Gina Rinehart, as the good money is suggesting? Or see his future capitalising on his early small business success? Or consulting, in the way Joe Hockey and others have?

At 54, his next step might even be the one that counts, just not in votes.

Politics is a brutal business. When you win, you have so many friends, you can’t count them. And when you lose, you have so few, you struggle to find them. A $280,000-a-year pension might soften the blow, but no one becomes a politician for the pay-packet. It’s the power and the legacy that count. And that’s why it matters, at least to Peter Dutton.

Originally published as Madonna King: How should Peter Dutton be remembered?