Peter Dutton faces tight contest to hold seat of Dickson as Labor wins the election

Peter Dutton has fought hard to become Australia’s next Prime Minister – but another tight contest closer to home could render his efforts pointless.

Booted Opposition Leader Peter Dutton congratulated the woman who not only ousted him from his seat but ended his political career, declaring she will “do a good job as a local member”.

Ali France was declared a “Labor hero” by Treasurer Jim Chalmers after taking the Queensland seat of Dickson from Mr Dutton – ending his 24 year political career.

After calling to congratulate Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Mr Dutton said he then called Ms France to congratulate her.

“I congratulated the Prime Minister and wished he Jodie and Nathan all the very best and I said to the Prime Minister that his mother would be incredibly proud of his achievement tonight and he should be proud of what he has achieved,” Mr Dutton said.

“Ali and I have been combatants for a number of elections but she was successful in Dickson tonight, and she will do a good job as a local member.

“She lost her son Henry which is a tragic circumstances and no parent should ever go through that, equally I said to Ali that her son Henry would be incredibly proud of her tonight and she will do a good job as a local member for Dickson and I wish her all the very best.”

Mr Dutton said he also wanted “to say a very, very big thank you tonight most importantly to the millions of Australians who have supported the Liberal Party, the Coalition.

“It is not our night as I point out, and there are good members and candidates who have lost their seats, their ambition and I am sorry for that.

“Ultimately we live in the best country in the world and I have always believed that and I always will. I love this country and have fought hard for it, we have been defined by our opponents in this election which is not a true story of who we are but we will rebuild

from here and we will do that because we know our values, we know our beliefs, and we will always stick to them.

“I want to say thank you to the Australian people for the faith that they have placed in me, and thank them for the great honour of having been the member for Dickson, and the Leader of the Opposition”.
Speaking on the ABC earlier, Treasurer Jim Chalmers declared Ms France a Labor hero.

“There is a special place in the Labor pantheon for people who keep going again and again and again with persistence and perseverance and Ali France, if she has won Dickson, is genuinely a Labor hero tonight,” Mr Chalmers said.
“I thought we were a chance and I thought Ali would give us a red hot chance, I thought it was fifty-fifty at best,” he said.

“There is a bunch of things playing out there. The nuclear stuff was bad for Peter Dutton.

“He made an egregious error on the Sunday night of the final week, saying he would be comfortable having a nuclear reactor in his suburb when Mark Riley asked him. It was a big mistake.

“That is not the only thing. There are foundational issues here, I think, they lost the argument on Medicare, they lost the argument on the cost of living and Peter Dutton trailed away as the campaign wore on and we shouldn’t expect that that will be somehow different in his own community, despite the fact that … he has clung on when we have been confident before.”

Peter Dutton faces a stomach churning fight for his own seat as the 2025 federal election enters its final hours. Picture: Adam Head / NewsWire

Labor candidate Ali France has been hot on Mr Dutton’s tail. Picture: NewsWire / John Gass

The mood inside the Labor Party headquarters in Sydney reached fever pitch news of Ms France’s expected win was announced.

Supporters chanted her name and screamed in joy, after the ABC called the seat for Ms France.

One supporter at the party, Michelle described Ms France as a “true believer”.

“Ali has been campaigning in Dutton’s seat for years. She a true believer and we are so proud of her,” she said.

Asked whether he thought Mr Dutton would take personal responsibility for the loss, Liberal Senator James Patterson told the ABC: “Knowing Peter and knowing the service that he has given to Queensland as a police officer, to Queensland, the country as a member of parliament and as a senior cabinet minister and as a leader

“ I think he would take responsibility,” Mr Paterson said.

“He is that type of man. He is a decent and honourable man and sadly, what Australians never saw is he has a cracking sense of humour, but he is a fighter and we will see him deliver his view on what happened today.”

Speaking to Nine shortly before 8pm, Senator James Paterson claimed Labor “absolutely went for Peter in this campaign”.

“They poured in enormous amount of money,” Mr Paterson said.

“And he also had Climate 200 funding a candidate to try and tear him down, plus a national advertising campaign from Labor in the tens of millions of dollars. It was very personal and very targeted to him.”

Mr Paterson said he wouldn’t be surprised if the rival campaigns had an effect on the results, but noted Mr Dutton had held the seat for 25 years.

“They have come for him before and he’s held it. So let’s wait and see,” he said.

Speaking to the ABC, LNP senator James McGrath urged people to wait for the pre-poll votes to be counted, with early voters likely to preference the Coalition.

“You will hear me say that for a while, but remember with that seat, that Peter has had that since 2001 every single election has been close. In 2007 he won by 100 votes,” he said.

“It is a classic fight there and the fact that the teal independent is behind Labor I think will help us.”

The outer Brisbane electorate, which the Opposition Leader has held since 2001, was one of the most closely watched seats on election night.

Not only was it the most marginal seat in Queensland at 1.7 per cent, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese made it well known he believed Labor’s third-time contender Ms France has a good chance of flipping the seat.

The Prime Minister made two visits to the electorate throughout the campaign. When historical social media posts made by Ms France emerged of her sharing a photo of Mr Dutton and former prime minister Scott Morrison photoshopped into a Nazi uniform, Mr Albanese continued to back in Ms France.

“Ali France is someone who has shown courage, who has overcome adversity, is putting herself forward not for the first time, not for the second time, but for the third time to look after the local community that she loves,” he said in the second last week of the campaign.

Ali France, running in Dickson for the third time, has enjoyed the strong support of the PM. Picture: Jason Edwards / NewsWire

Earlier, Sportsbet odds still had Mr Dutton holding onto his seat, with a Coalition victory paying out $1.38, with Labor paying out $3.25 as of 5pm on Saturday.

Odds for the Climate-200 backed candidate Ellie Smith were considerably higher at $11.

While Dickson has always been a marginal seat, Mr Dutton attempted to switch to the safer Liberal seat of McPherson in 2009.

However he lost preselection to Morrison-era minister Karen Andrews, who will retire after this election.

Voters support Greens, Labor, Smith

While booths were open on Saturday, voters from Pine Rivers State High School centre told NewsWire they were voting for Ms France because they had been “turned off” by Mr Dutton’s voting history.

Local Alex, 34, said his vote was driven by opposition to the Liberal leader himself.

“I voted for Labor to keep Dutton out,” he said, adding that Mr Dutton “lacks inclusiveness and a sense of community.”

Mr Dutton cast his vote flanked by his family on Saturday. Picture: Adam Head / NewsWire

Tegan, 37, and Tim, 31, also voted for Ms France, citing sustainability and the cost of living as key issues.

“Ali actually came door to door, and I really liked what she had to say,” Tim said.

Tegan said Mr Dutton’s voting history on certain policies turned her off the Liberal leader.

Kazuma Shimizu, 32, said he previously supported Labor but switched his vote to the Greens, influenced in part by his experience as a renter.

“I know their housing policies and other ideas are a bit more radical, but I think that’s just what we need,” Mr Shimizu told NewsWire.

Kazuma Shimzu, 32, said he voted for the Greens in this election after his experience renting. Picture: Andrew Hedgman/ NewsWire

For 71-year-old Jay Sutherland, climate change was a key factor in her decision.

“There’s a lot of talk about climate, but it’s very slow-moving,” Ms Sutherland said.

“I’ve got 17 grandchildren, so I’ve got to vote for their future.”

Davin Grieve, 52, said he voted for the local independent candidate and preferenced Labor next.

“They’re a lot stronger on the environment than the Liberals,” Mr Grieve said.

“I just don’t want Dutton in – we’ve gotta get him out.”

Some voters, however, maintained strong party loyalties. One man, 52, offered a simple rationale for his choice: “I just prefer Liberals.”

Davin Grieve (right) said he did not want Mr Dutton to win. Picture: Andrew Hedgman/ NewsWire

A more unexpected switch came from a 59-year-old voter who asked to remain anonymous. Previously a Liberal supporter, he said he voted for One Nation this time, expressing concerns about the priorities of the major parties.

“I didn’t like how the major parties are focusing on sustainability and renewables,” the man said, citing discontent with “the direction that the country is heading.”

A 36-year-old mother of three from Dickson said she voted for the Liberal Party, believing its policies best support parents returning to work after having a baby.

Meanwhile, Shaikh and Munin, both 33, cast their votes for independent candidate Ellie Smith, saying they felt the major parties no longer represented their values.

They cited the rising cost of living and the housing crisis as key issues influencing their decision, adding they’re struggling to break into the property market and don’t believe the major parties offer real solutions.

Originally published as Peter Dutton faces tight contest to hold seat of Dickson as Labor wins the election