Peter Dutton tipped as next Liberal leader

With Scott Morrison resigning and Josh Frydenberg losing his seat, Peter Dutton has emerged as the next likely leader of the party.

With Scott Morrison resigning and Josh Frydenberg losing his seat, Peter Dutton has emerged as the next likely leader of the party.

The outgoing Defence Minister suffered a scare in his Brisbane seat of Dickson early during counting on election night, but ultimately saw off a challenge from Labor’s Ali France to remain the only man standing likely to take over.

The Prime Minister conceded defeat and announced he would quit the leadership, declaring he accepted the will of the voters after a thumping by Labor on Saturday.

“To my colleagues tonight, who have had to deal with very difficult news, and have lost their seats tonight, I as leader take responsibility for the wins and the losses,’’ he said.

“That is the burden and that is the responsibility of leadership. As a result I will be handing over the leadership at the next party room meeting to ensure the party can be taken forward under new leadership which is the appropriate thing to do.”

Scott Morrison announces he’s stepping down. Picture: Saeed Khan/AFP

Mr Morrison said he intended to remain as the Member for Cook for now.

But in one of the bigger shocks of the night, Mr Frydenberg – long seen as the leading contender to be Mr Morrison’s successor – was defeated in his inner-city Melbourne seat of Kooyong by teal independent Monique Ryan.

A tearful Mr Frydenberg all but gave his concession speech flanked by family, admitting after 10pm it would be “difficult” to hold on even as he said there were more votes to be counted.

“So while it’s mathematically possible that we win in Kooyong, it’s definitely difficult,” he said.

He took the opportunity to “say a few thank you-s”, reflecting on his time as Treasurer.

Josh Frydenberg will likely lose his seat of Kooyong. Picture: David Caird

“To be the deputy leader of our party has been an enormous privilege and to serve as Scott Morrison’s deputy, a person of great decency, a person who loves his family, a person who is of deep faith and a person who has shown extraordinary leadership in extraordinary time,’” he said.

“So I thank Scott Morrison for what he has done for our country to leave Australia in a stronger position than when he found it.”

Mr Dutton, who has held his seat since 2001, told supporters it was a “terrible day” for the Liberal Party.

“We have, as a Liberal family, suffered a terrible day today,” he said.

“And there are colleagues around the country, good people, who have potentially lost their seats. There are still thousands and thousands of postal votes and pre-poll votes to count. So there’s some hope in some of those seats. In many, the race is very tight.

“I want to acknowledge the pain they’re going through tonight, their families, their supporters.”

Peter Dutton has emerged as the likely Liberal leader. Picture: Zak Simmonds

Who is Peter Dutton?

Mr Dutton unsuccessfully stood in the 2018 leadership vote that saw Mr Morrison take over the prime ministership from Malcolm Turnbull.

The 51-year-old former Queensland cop is the from the party’s right, and has caused controversy in recent months with inflammatory rhetoric towards China.

He marked Anzac Day this year by comparing China and Russia to Nazi Germany before World War II and said Australia should be prepared for war.

“The only way you can preserve peace is to prepare for war and to be strong as a country,” Mr Dutton said. “Not to cower or be on bended knee or be weak. That’s the reality.”

He was instrumental in negotiating the AUKUS security pact with the US and UK, which will see Australia receive nuclear submarines.

In 2017 he became the first Home Affairs Minister after successfully pushing for the creation of a new super security ministry to combat terrorists and criminals, bringing together ASIO, the Australian Federal Police and Border Protection.

Previously as Immigration Minister, Mr Dutton came under fire from refugee advocates over Australia’s offshore detention policies.

Peter Dutton with US and Australian troops. Picture: Defence Department

Earlier this week, a federal court overturned a defamation decision that would have seen a refugee advocate forced to pay Mr Dutton more than $35,000.

Mr Dutton sued Shane Bazzi over a tweet accusing him of being a “rape apologist”, with a court siding with the Minister last November.

Mr Bazzi’s tweet had linked to a Guardian Australia article that quoted Mr Dutton as saying some refugees detained on Nauru had “claimed they’ve been raped” in order to be flown to Australia for medical care.

On Tuesday, Mr Bazzi won an appeal against that decision. A panel of three Federal Court judges found the tweet did not convey the imputation that Mr Dutton excused rape.

Rather, “the reader would conclude that the tweet was suggesting that Mr Dutton was sceptical about claims of rape and in that way was an apologist”, the judges said.

“But that is very different from imputing that he excuses rape itself.”

Peter Dutton in 2017. Picture Kym Smith

ScoMo to blame for loss

Liberal Senate leader Simon Birmingham was scathing of the Prime Minister in the wake of the loss, saying his “captain’s pick” of Katherine Deves in the seat of Warringah caused a “contagion effect”.

Controversy over Ms Deves comments about transgender people saw the Liberals primary plummet by 7 per cent in the previously blue-ribbon Liberal seat, held by independent Zali Steggall now for a second time.

Senator Birmingham said the result sent “a clear message”.

“I think the 2019 election result in Warringah was a devastating one for the Liberal party, to see a former Liberal party leader in Tony Abbott to lose there and as comprehensively as he did but to see tonight’s Liberal vote go backward and appearing to be going backwards to the tune of 7 per cent I think sends a clear message,” he said.

“And in the case of Warringah, we have seen the issues that are played out there. I think it sends a message about what Australians believe when it comes to issues of respect, of inclusion, of diversity, and the message is, Australians want people to respect their lives but they also want to have a strong and profound respect for the lives of others.”