Peter Dutton has launched a new campaign for top job

Peter Dutton holds a press conference at Parliament House after being defeated in his tilt at the leadership. Picture: Kym Smith

Peter Dutton has launched his bid for the next challenge against Malcolm Turnbull’s leadership.

Ironically he effectively launched his campaign standing on the same piece of lawn where Turnbull launched his leadership bid against Tony Abbott.

It is a challenge that is likely to come within weeks.

At his first public appearance as a backbencher for the first time in 11 years, the former Home Affairs Minister immediately set out to soften his hard image, joke and smile and provided a political CV to reassure colleagues and voters he has a lot of experience.

Dutton never made any silly comment about not challenging, he didn’t attack Turnbull — as Turnbull attacked Abbott — and made the emphatic point he challenged because he thought he was the best choice to “stop Bill Shorten”. There was no mention of polling whatsoever.

Dutton didn’t criticise Turnbull but set out a series of areas where he believed the Government needed to take on Labor — immigration, border protection, energy prices, dams to alleviate drought and reliable energy.

As a backbencher Dutton is free to do and say what he likes as he talks to colleagues — just seven of whom he needs to convince to change their vote.

Turnbull gambled when he called the leadership spill and hoped to catch Dutton unprepared, the problem with eh gamble was that Dutton, from a standing start, got 35 votes.

It’s not over.