IA's catalogue of major reasons Peter Dutton should never be prime minister – begun a few months ago and updated here by Michelle Pini – is now at 95 big fat whopping reasons.
If Dutton’s Coalition fails the May 3 contest, members of the media circus will still be able to hold their heads high, since the loss won’t be due to lack of effort on their part.
The polls have consistently shown Labor way ahead of the Liberals for weeks now, the latest putting ALP’s two-party preferred lead at 55.5 per cent to 45.5 per cent. However, one may be forgiven for thinking that the two parties are neck and neck, and Dutton is winning every battle.
The Coalition media cheer squad is lauding Dutton’s third debate performance as “strong” and announcing him the winner.
News Corp’s Samantha Maiden focused on Dutton’s physicality:
‘Mr Dutton towers over Mr Albanese in real life.’
But, Maiden was disappointed the “big guy” had an off night and was therefore unable to expose Albanese’s “lies”.
Maiden claimed Dutton’s outburst of projection, in which he called the PM a "liar", was:
…jarring, because Mr Dutton strikes most people as quite a calm person. Cautious. Polite. For heaven’s sake, he meditates.
His sense of frustration with the Prime Minister getting away with fibs is understandable.
Wow. A gentle giant — even we didn’t see that one coming.
Meanwhile, on Sky News, Sharri Markson said the polls are all part of a conspiracy in which they are being paid "millions" by the Labor Party to rig the results. How very... original.
Desperate times and all that.
Media cheer squad notwithstanding, so far in this election campaign, Pete seems determined to squander his considerable media advantage, with each media appearance a greater and more cringeworthy train wreck than the last. Even Liberal poster boy Andrew Hastie (the one who said women shouldn't serve on the frontlines but now says he's okay with it) has ditched the Liberal Party logo from his election campaign posters.
Of course, as we know from past elections, it is still too early to assume anything, but the signs are there that the electorate, disillusioned though it may be with politicians in general, is not falling for the Coalition’s spin.
And so, in the interests of doing everything possible to ensure the “big, strong softy” – better known on this publication as The Thug, Terrifying Wannabe Overlord and Temu Trump – never gets near the top job, we bring you our updated list of reasons why he is completely unfit to be PM, now totalling a whopping 95 — please share widely, especially among the undecided.
Let’s help "Get the Dick out of Dickson"!
(CLICK HERE to catch up on the first 85 reasons.)
95. Climate denier
Dutton says he can’t comment on why even his own state of Queensland is being ripped to shreds by escalating weather events, because he’s “not a scientist”.
Unfortunately, however, he does not defer to the scientists who are qualified to comment on the scientific reality of climate change, to receive advice in any aspect of policy making or his ongoing climate denial.
94. Jobs for the boys
Former Secretary of Home Affairs Mike Pezzullo committed 14 breaches of the Public Service Code of Conduct, including, among other things, using his power to gain personal advantage and failing to maintain the confidentiality of sensitive government information, for which he was sacked.
Nonetheless, Dutton has flagged he will reinstate Pezullo if elected.
And then there's former Assistant Home Affairs Minister Jason Wood's mate and political donor, Jack Ta.
As reported in The Age:
'Migration agent Jack Ta was exposed in a 2022 investigation by this masthead and 60 Minutes for being suspected of repeatedly gaming the visa system to help more than a dozen drug offenders remain in Australia...
Jack Ta's registration was cancelled.
Wood had tried to appoint the migration agent to a government advisory group and was warned of serious integrity issues, but has since denied prior knowledge of Ta's activities.
Wood himself has also declared family business interests in a migration agency that helps people overturn visa refusals.
But you know, everything is “perfectly legitimate”, according to Dutton.
93. Slagging off Victoria
The wannabe PM and overlord continues his dogwhistling claims about Victoria — the state he needs to swing in his favour.
According to Dutton's lived experience, based as he is on a 130-hectare property in Dayboro, Queensland, 1,732 km or a leisurely 19 and a half hour drive from Victoria:
“People [in Victoria] don’t feel safe in their own homes, their businesses, taking public transport or even at the shops.”
This is simply a continuation of the fear-mongering Dutton began in 2018, when he claimed Melbourne people couldn’t go to restaurants because of “African gangs”.
92. $21 billion defence pledge funded by poor people
Dutton's promise to spend an additional $21 billion on defence is not popular among the majority of voters. And to finance this particular move, Dutton has indicated he will reverse any (or all) Labor policies benefiting poor people. (See points 91-87, below).
91. Ditching tax cuts
Dutton, who represents the self-declared party of lower taxes, is now committed to ensuring only the rich and obscenely rich benefit from tax cuts and will repeal Labor's latest income tax cuts – the ones intended for all Australians, including the poorest wage earners – to prove it.
90. Scrapping HECS debt relief
Dutton is determined to ditch Labor's promise to cut 20 per cent off student loans (which would affect over 3 million students), labelling the policy "elitist". Obviously. Because only people with wealthy parents should be able to receive a tertiary education — that's the natural order of things, according to Pete.
89. No new-fangled electric cars, either
Two days after claiming the Coalition had no plans to cut electric vehicle subsidies, Dutton has stated he will scrap Labor's popular electric vehicle tax break.
Once again, poor people, nice things.
88. Childcare? Only poor people (mainly women) need help with that
As always, Pete likes to keep (poor) women barefoot, pregnant and in the kitchen. And to do so, a Dutton-led government would do away with any childcare benefits instigated by the Albanese Government.
Of course, it is unclear whether such policies would benefit or hinder the Brisbane childcare centres previously owned by his wife, but from which Pete never, ever benefited.
Temu Trump has also consistently voted against reproductive autonomy. He has also planned to force public servants (at least, any that may still have jobs if he is elected) to return to the office, post haste — a policy that also disadvantages mainly women, though Dutton now claims to have scrapped this plan.
87. Ensuring everyone pays for getting sick — again
As we pointed out earlier, when Pete was Minister for Health, he was categorically voted the worst health minister in living memory by the Australian Medical Association (AMA), according to a poll conducted by Australian Doctor magazine.
Not content with achieving that "accolade", as well as consistently voting to increase the Medicare levy and raise the cost of medications, the Opposition Leader now wants us to believe he will improve Medicare.
Perhaps he also has a bridge for sale.
86. In bed with Pauline Hanson's One Nation
Dutton’s Liberals are preferencing One Nation. So, no more needs to be said about that.
Dutton stumbles as the media calls him out for proposing to slug ordinary taxpayers to pay for his spending.
— Squizz (@SquizzSTK) April 23, 2025
He deflects to a "house of living crisis"臘 pic.twitter.com/D1Y6kI1QcQ
CLICK HERE to catch up on the first 85 reasons.
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Follow managing editor Michelle Pini on Bluesky @michellepini.bsky.social and Independent Australia on Bluesky @independentaus.bsky.social.
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