Peter Dutton

**Peter Craig Dutton** (born 18 November 1970) is an Australian politician. He was the 15th Leader of the Liberal Party and the 35th Leader of the Opposition from 2022 to 2025. Dutton led the Coalition to a landslide defeat at the 2025 federal election, and lost his seat of Dickson to Labor candidate Ali France, becoming the first federal Opposition Leader to lose their seat at an election.

## Political career

Dutton has been a member of the Australian House of Representatives representing the Division of Dickson, Queensland since November 2001. From 2017 to 2018, he was the Minister for Home Affairs. He served as the Minister for Immigration and Border Protection from 2014 to 2017. He was also the Minister for Health and Sport from 2013 to 2014.

In May 2022, after the Liberal Party lost the 2022 election and Scott Morrison resigned as party leader, Dutton announced his candidacy for the party leadership. He was elected party leader unopposed on 30 May 2022 and became Opposition Leader shortly afterwards. He is the first Liberal leader to come from Queensland.

During his time as Opposition Leader, stories of Dutton's leadership of the Department of Home Affairs started to be publish. It was revealed that a 2020 report had uncovered serious issues with the department's detention approach, but Dutton had chosen not to act. In February 2024, the independent Richardson Review was published, which found some failures of Dutton's role as minister. It was revealed that under Dutton's leadership the department had made multi-million dollar contracts with companies suspected of criminal activity, including drug smuggling, corruption, and went against US sanctions. Dutton had personally got involved with the department to allow a criminal to stay in Australia, saying that it would be in the public interest.

Dutton led the Liberal-National Coalition to the 2025 election. He ran what was considered by numerous commentators to be a poor campaign. At the election on 3 May, the Coalition suffered its worst ever defeat at a federal election, losing at least 18 seats while Labor won an expanded majority. Dutton lost his own seat of Dickson, with Labor challenger Ali France defeating him on her third attempt.

## Personal life

Dutton was born in Brisbane, Queensland. He was a police officer before he entered politics. He has been married twice and has three children.

On 13 March 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Dutton was diagnosed with COVID-19.

## Infobox (officeholder)

- **embed**: yes
- **office2**: 57th Minister for Defence (Australia), Minister for Defence
- **primeminister2**: Scott Morrison
- **deputy2**: Andrew Hastie
- **term start2**: 30 March 2021
- **term end2**: 23 May 2022
- **predecessor2**: Linda Reynolds
- **successor2**: Richard Marles
- **office3**: 20th Leader of the House (Australia), Leader of the House
- **primeminister3**: Scott Morrison
- **term start3**: 30 March 2021
- **term end3**: 23 May 2022
- **predecessor3**: Christian Porter
- **successor3**: Tony Burke
- **office4**: 32nd Minister for Home Affairs (Australia), Minister for Home Affairs
- **term start4**: 20 December 2017
- **term end4**: 30 March 2021
- **predecessor4**: Jason Clare
- **successor4**: Karen Andrews
- **office5**: 32nd Minister for Immigration and Border Protection
- **term start5**: 23 December 2014
- **term end5**: 21 August 2018
- **predecessor5**: Scott Morrison
- **successor5**: David Coleman (Australian politician), David Coleman
- **office6**: 41st Minister for Health (Australia), Minister for Health
- **primeminister6**: Tony Abbott
- **term start6**: 18 September 2013
- **term end6**: 23 December 2014
- **predecessor6**: Tanya Plibersek
- **successor6**: Sussan Ley
- **office7**: 23rd Minister for Sport (Australia), Minister for Sport
- **primeminister7**: Tony Abbott
- **term start7**: 18 September 2013
- **term end7**: 23 December 2014
- **predecessor7**: Don Farrell
- **successor7**: Sussan Ley
- **office8**: 8th Assistant Treasurer of Australia
- **primeminister8**: John Howard
- **term start8**: 27 January 2006
- **term end8**: 3 December 2007
- **predecessor8**: Mal Brough
- **successor8**: Chris Bowen
- **office9**: 10th Minister for Jobs and Innovation, Minister for Workforce Participation
- **primeminister9**: John Howard
- **term start9**: 26 October 2004
- **term end9**: 27 January 2006
- **predecessor9**: Fran Bailey
- **successor9**: Sharman Stone


## Infobox (police officer)

- **embed**: yes
- **department**: Queensland Police Service, Queensland Police
- **branch**: National Crime Authority, Drug Squad, Sex Offenders Squad
- **serviceyears**: 1990–1999
- **rank**: Queensland Police Service#Commissioned ranks, Detective Senior Constable


## Infobox (officeholder)

- **honorific prefix**: The Honourable
- **name**: Peter Dutton
- **image**: Peter-Dutton-2022.jpg
- **caption**: Dutton in 2022
- **office**: 35th List of Australian Leaders of the Opposition, Leader of the Opposition
- **primeminister**: Anthony Albanese
- **deputy**: Sussan Ley
- **term start**: 30 May 2022
- **term end**: 3 May 2025
- **predecessor**: Anthony Albanese
- **successor**: Sussan Ley
- **office1**: 15th Liberal Party of Australia#Federal Parliamentary Leaders of the Liberal Party of Australia, Leader of the Liberal Party
- **deputy1**: Sussan Ley
- **term start1**: 2022 Liberal Party of Australia leadership election, 30 May 2022
- **term end1**: 3 May 2025
- **predecessor1**: Scott Morrison
- **successor1**: Sussan Ley
- **constituency mp10**: Division of Dickson, Dickson
- **parliament10**: Australian
- **term start10**: 2001 Australian federal election, 10 November 2001
- **term end10**: 2025 Australian federal election, 3 May 2025
- **predecessor10**: Cheryl Kernot
- **successor10**: Ali France
- **birth place**: Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- **children**: 3
- **education**: Queensland University of Technology
- **signature**: Peter Dutton signature 2022.svg