Does Dutton have a glass jaw?

It’s been six years since Opposition Leader Peter Dutton, then a minister in Malcolm Turnbull’s government, said some reporters at the ABC didn’t “realise how completely dead they are to me”.

Not much seems to have changed.

On Friday, Dutton lashed out at a female ABC journalist in regional Western Australia. Asked to prove there was local support for the Coalition’s proposed nuclear power plants, he accused the reporter of ideological advocacy and playing “ABC games”.

Less than three weeks earlier, he rebuked another Sydney-based female ABC reporter over questions about terrorist group Hezbollah.

Dutton’s distaste for the ABC is not new, nor is it solely aimed at more junior reporters; he clashed with 7.30 host Sarah Ferguson over claims of ABC bias this year.

But as an election campaign looms, it is unclear whether flogging the public broadcaster will be the best strategy for a man who wants to be prime minister. This month’s angry interactions could be a precursor of what’s ahead as the opposition leader faces pressure to prove himself, including to the Canberra press pack he rarely fronts.

Dutton has held more than 50 press conferences this year, but fewer than five have been at Parliament House, according to the list of transcripts on his website. His doorstops tend to be low-key, with smaller audiences, in suburban or regional locations.

They’ve been mostly without controversy until now. While Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has copped criticism for tetchy interviews and missteps under pressure, Dutton also appears to be leading with a glass jaw.

Asked on Friday how he knew that the vast majority of people in Collie, WA, supported his nuclear power plans, Dutton retorted: “Well, how do you know they don’t?”

As the reporter said she had spoken to several people but hadn’t seen Dutton do the same, he interjected.

“Look, I understand the position of the ABC. The ABC has an ideological position … That’s an issue for you. I don’t really care. I’m not interested in the politics at the ABC. You can all be advocates and play your games. But you’re talking to each other,” he said.

The exchange was celebrated on Sky News.

“I just want to stand up and go ‘Yippee’,” said former Liberal Party vice president Teena McQueen. “He’s showing strength, courage, pushback: all the things you need to win an election.”

Marketer Toby Ralph, who has worked on more than 50 elections globally, agreed that image played well for Dutton.

“There’s strength in taking an unequivocal position on things that matter, so that’s unlikely to hurt ... Beyond that, Australians look for a bit of mongrel in our wannabe leaders: it’s a tough job with constant tough decisions,” he said.

But it could have its limits.

“Dutton needs to continue to have a respectful relationship with the ABC, not veer into [former US president] Donald Trump’s lane ... Slapping the ABC ain’t great strategy. It’s a trusted news source.”

While Dutton might be justifiably frustrated, Ralph said punters would see snapping at less powerful and younger journalists as a bad look.

Political historian Paul Strangio was unsurprised by Dutton’s antagonism towards ABC reporters.

“It’s consistent with his aggressive strongman leadership persona and ... ‘them against us’ mode of politics,” Strangio said, noting Dutton had often cast certain journalists as members of the “progressive woke elite”.

“I suspect at one level, he has calculated that ABC watching [or] listening types aren’t going to vote for him in any case,” Strangio said.

“On the other hand, displays of aggression like these may reinforce his already baked-in reputation for being ‘nasty’.”

As Labor plans to run a negative campaign against Dutton’s character, Strangio said attacking ABC journalists, particularly women, could be risky.

“The trust and affection for the ABC is not just restricted to so-called ‘elites’ – it’s widespread throughout the community. Displays of aggression like these are also unlikely to endear him to women voters, a problem constituency for the Coalition, or those in teal seats.”

Strangio said Australia’s successful leaders had carved out their own models for communicating, such as John Howard’s use of talkback radio.

“What [Dutton] has been adept at is a kind of guerrilla war media campaign in which he has succeeded in ambushing the government with inflammatory statements,” he said.

With the election set to guarantee greater scrutiny, this strategy could struggle.

“[Dutton] is notoriously circumspect about press conferences at Parliament House, where there’s an army of eager scribblers hoping for their gotcha moment,” Ralph said.

“But in the heat of an election, it becomes unavoidable. It’s what he signed up for and there’s no way around the blowtorch of the press.”

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