‘Wonderful’ or ‘incompetent’? Peter Dutton divides Dickson

Voters in Peter Dutton’s marginal electorate of Dickson appear just as divided as the latest poll results. This is what they really think.

Voters in Peter Dutton’s federal electorate of Dickson appear just as divided as the latest poll results, with some praising the Opposition Leader’s local contributions while others slam him as out of touch, self-interested or incompetent.

Labor has edged ahead 52.5 to 47.5 per cent in the latest YouGov poll – its strongest position in 18 months, but the election is still a competitive contest.

With just weeks until voters hit the polls, there’s a sharp divide in a seat Mr Dutton held by just 3363 votes in 2022.

Independent polling and election analyst Kevin Bonham said the seat of Dickson had consistently leaned slightly towards the Coalition.

“It becomes most marginal when the Coalition does badly in an election, but when they do well, they tend to hold it comfortably,” Dr Bonham said.

“It’s been that way for decades.”

Peter Dutton’s marginal seat of Dickson could again go down to the wire. Picture Thomas Lisson / NewsWire

Dr Bonham pointed out how close the last election result was, with the Coalition narrowly retaining the seat as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese led Labor to victory nationally.

Dr Bonham said Dickson’s demographics included above-average incomes, mortgage rates and education levels.

He added that the electorate’s population was heavily made up of Generation X voters aged between 40 and 60, which helped keep the seat competitive.

On the ground in Dickson, voters appear just as divided as the polling suggests.

At Strathpine Shopping Centre, residents shared sharply contrasting views, some praising Mr Dutton’s contributions to the local area, while others criticised him as out of touch, self-interested or incompetent.

Mum-of-two Isabelle from Deagon believes Mr Dutton only cares about the wealthy, describing him as “self-absorbed.”

“I just think he’s a misogynist and just doesn’t care about people and their lives,” she said.

“He just doesn’t seem relatable to people that live in the area.”

Liam, a 24-year-old electrician, was more blunt, describing Mr Dutton as “incompetent”.

“He just doesn’t know what he’s doing. I don’t think he’s focusing on any issues, he’s just doing culture war sh*t to distract from his policy, which is not good – no detail in it,” Liam said.

Mitch, 38, from Lawnton, said Mr Dutton had “no clue what’s going on”.

“He’s got no coherent policies, he just piggybacks off everyone else,” Mitch said.

“His nuclear policy doesn’t make any sense because it’s not going to be built for years.”

Others expressed a more favourable view of the Liberal leader, highlighting his efforts in addressing local issues and praising his contributions to the community.

Alice, 35, from Warner, said Mr Dutton was “wonderful” and had “done quite a bit for the community”, including work on homelessness and aged care.

“He has an aged care summit that he does every 12 months,” she said, adding that the cost of living and child care were her biggest concerns.

“Labor have been awful for childcare,” Alice said.

Linda and Len, aged 67 and 70, said they wouldn’t support Mr Dutton under any circumstances.

Linda and Len say there’s nothing Mr Dutton can do to win their vote. Picture: NewsWire/Tertius Pickard

“We do not like him, he is not for the people. I will definitely go for Albanese, all the way,” Linda said.

“This goes way back … this is something from way back in the 70s,” she explained.

“Albanese, he’s for the people, he’s a genuine guy.”

Jo, 37, a mum of two from Bray Park, said she was still undecided.

“The cost of living and childcare subsidies are the main things on my mind,” she said.

Julie, 45, also voiced concerns about how Mr Dutton speaks about immigration.

“I don’t believe he has the public’s best interest at heart,” she said.

Chula, 30, from Petrie, said she was leaning towards Mr Dutton but felt disillusioned overall.

“I just don’t know if it will make much of a difference,” she said.

Chula says she is leaning towards Mr Dutton but felt disillusioned overall. Picture: NewsWire/Tertius Pickard. Picture: NewsWire/Tertius Pickard

One man in his 70s said Mr Dutton’s policies on health, education and foreign affairs were not what Australia needed.

The street-level commentary follows new YouGov polling that shows Mr Dutton’s national satisfaction rating has plummeted to his lowest ever net score of -15, down from -2 in February, as support for Mr Albanese climbs.

He now leads as preferred prime minister with 48 per cent compared with Mr Dutton’s 37 per cent.

“Peter Dutton’s personal satisfaction ratings have plummeted to their lowest level following his embrace of controversial Trump-style policies such as banning work-from-home arrangements and proposing to sack 40,000 public sector workers,” YouGov director of public data Paul Smith said.

YouGov director of public data Paul Smith said Mr Dutton’s personal satisfaction ratings had plummeted following his embrace of ‘Trump-style’ policies. Picture: ABC

“These actions have clearly impacted his public perception, contributing to a significant drop in satisfaction,” Mr Smith said.

Labor has also extended its lead over the Coalition in the latest YouGov public data poll, now ahead 52.5 per cent to 47.5 per cent on a two-party preferred basis – its strongest result in 18 months and slightly above its 2022 federal election performance.

Labor’s primary vote rose to 32 per cent (+2 per cent), while the Coalition dropped to 33.5 per cent (-1.5 per cent).

“The Coalition, which only in February was in a strong position to win government, is now struggling to hold onto the seats it won in 2022,” Mr Smith said.