‘Not that smart’: WA Premier Mark McGowan unloads on Peter Dutton

West Australian Premier Mark McGowan has labelled Peter Dutton an “extremist” who is “just not that smart” in a brutal post-election spray in Perth.

WA Premier Mark McGowan has unloaded on incoming Liberal leader and ex-cop Peter Dutton as an extremist who is just “not that smart” in a post-election spray in Perth.

Declaring the former Defence Minister as unfit to lead the nation, Mr McGowan said he had seen him present ideas to state premiers and came away from the experience convinced the Liberal MP was not the sharpest tool in the box.

“He’s an extremist, and I don’t think he fits with modern Australia at all,” the WA Premier said.

“He doesn’t seem to listen, he’s extremely conservative and I actually don’t think he’s that smart. I’ve seen him present on things [and] I don’t really pick up there’s much there.”

The WA Premier also questioned Mr Dutton’s rhetoric on China as “crazy”.

“Peter Dutton was out there talking about war and war footing and conflict … that’s absolutely crazy,’ he said.

“We’re a country of 25 million people, China has 1.4 billion people, with nuclear weapons. Why would a mainstream political party be talking about that?

“Let’s just have a sensible, strong relationship with China and continue our strong alliance with the US and Britain.”

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WA Premier Mark McGowan has unloaded on incoming Liberal leader Peter Dutton. Picture: Sharon Smith/NCA NewsWire.

The WA premier also accused the media pack following the Labor leader during the campaign of being “intimidating and bullying” at news conferences and said he couldn’t believe what he witnessed in Perth.

“Screaming and interrupting, and rude, and insulting, intimidating and bullying,” McGowan at a press conference in Perth on Monday:

“The sort of thing in a workplace, you’d get sacked for. They need to reflect on their behaviour. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Hailing West Australians for their role in delivering government to Anthony Albanese with a swag of seats, Mr McGowan said he wasn’t worried about Mr Dutton leading the Liberals.

While former Treasurer Josh Frydenberg was previously regarded as the heir apparent, the voters of Kooyong have ended his dream of leading the Liberal Party for now.

Some colleagues have raised the prospect of parachuting Mr Frydenberg into the seat of Liberal MP Alan Tudge, Mr Frydenberg insists he’s not in a rush to make up his mind about what he does next.

Earlier, Queensland MP Stuart Robert said Mr Dutton would make an “excellent” Liberal leader in the wake of the federal Coalition’s election defeat.

“Peter Dutton would make an excellent leader in terms of bringing everyone together,’’ he said.

Mr Robert did not rule out a quota system to get more women into the party – an idea the Prime Minister privately backed but failed to implement in four years as leader.

“Everything is on the table, to ensure that we can properly represent every single part of Australia,” Mr Robert said.

Declaring the former Defence Minister as unfit to lead the nation. Picture: Jane Dempster/The Australian.

Meanwhile, Tasmanian Liberal Bridget Archer, who appears to have retained her ultra marginal seat of Bass at the federal election, is not ruling out running for the deputy leader spot.

“I feel like that would be fairly presumptuous,’’ she said.

“I’ve seen some early commentary around some idea that the party should move further to the right and I will certainly resist all efforts for that to occur.

“We need to bring the party back to the centre.

However former education minister Alan Tudge emerged from his media ban during the campaign to declare Peter Dutton is the next leader and who he believes is in the running as deputy.

“Peter Dutton will be leader. He will be incredibly effective, actually,’’ he said.

“He will be a very effective leader in holding the Labor Party to account.”

NSW Liberal moderate and Treasurer Matt Kean said he looked forward to working with Mr Dutton.

“I don’t have a vote in the federal party room, that’s a matter for my federal colleagues. But whoever leads the Liberal Party needs to heed the lessons of the weekend, and that is, if you lurch too far to the right, then you lose the middle ground,” he said.

“I think Peter Dutton is a man that always stood up for our liberal values and I think he’s a man that’s always fought to build a stronger and more secure country for our nation.”

Originally published as ‘Not that smart’: WA Premier Mark McGowan unloads on Peter Dutton