Peter Dutton
Encyclopedia
Peter Craig Dutton MP (born 18 November 1970), Australian politician, has been a Liberal
member of the Australian House of Representatives
since November 2001, representing the Division of Dickson
, Queensland. At the 2001 federal election he defeated high profile Labor sitting member Cheryl Kernot
.
He was raised in Brisbane
, Queensland, and was educated at the Queensland Police Academy before becoming a Police officer. On leaving the Police in 1999 he became a businessman and completed a degree at the Queensland University of Technology
.
After the 2004 federal election Dutton was appointed to the ministry. He was Minister for Workforce Participation
from 2004 to 2006. In January 2006 he was appointed Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Revenue. Dutton successfully retained Dickson in the 2007 federal election with a majority of 0.26%, after an 8.76% swing to his rival Fiona McNamara.
In 2009, the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) proposed to alter Dutton's electorate of Dickson in a way that would tip the political balance of the seat towards the Labor Party. Wary of losing his place in the House of Representatives, Dutton sought endorsement for the safe Liberal seat of McPherson
. Despite the support of Liberal leader Malcolm Turnbull
, the retiring member for McPherson Margaret May
, and several other party luminaries including former Prime Minister John Howard
, Dutton was defeated by rival candidate Karen Andrews. The AEC's final redistribution cemented the erosion of the Liberal Party's position in Dickson, albeit less adversely than originally proposed. With no better option available to him, Dutton opted to recontest Dickson at the next election.
Dutton contested and won Dickson at the 2010 federal election, achieving a swing of 5.45% to easily overcome the 2009 redistribution. This resulted in a two-party preferred outcome of 54.69% as of the 23rd of August 2010.
Following the 2010 election, he was appointed as Shadow Minister for Health & Ageing.
Peter Dutton is regarded by some as a potential future leader of the Liberal Party.
Liberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
member of the Australian House of Representatives
Australian House of Representatives
The House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the Parliament of Australia; it is the lower house; the upper house is the Senate. Members of Parliament serve for terms of approximately three years....
since November 2001, representing the Division of Dickson
Division of Dickson
The Division of Dickson is an Australian Electoral Division in Queensland, Australia. The division was formed in 1992 and is named after Sir James Dickson, a leading advocate in Australian Federation, Queensland Premier and Minister for Defence in first Australian Ministry. It is located in the...
, Queensland. At the 2001 federal election he defeated high profile Labor sitting member Cheryl Kernot
Cheryl Kernot
Cheryl Kernot is an Australian politician, academic, and political activist. She was a member of the Australian Senate representing Queensland for the Australian Democrats from 1990 to 1997, and the fifth leader of the Australian Democrats from 1993 to 1997...
.
He was raised in Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, Queensland, and was educated at the Queensland Police Academy before becoming a Police officer. On leaving the Police in 1999 he became a businessman and completed a degree at the Queensland University of Technology
Queensland University of Technology
Queensland University of Technology is an Australian university with an applied emphasis in courses and research. Based in Brisbane, it has 40,000 students, including 6,000 international students, over 4,000 staff members, and an annual budget of more than A$750 million.QUT is marketed as "A...
.
After the 2004 federal election Dutton was appointed to the ministry. He was Minister for Workforce Participation
Minister for Employment Participation (Australia)
The Australian Minister for Employment Participation and Childcare is Kate Ellis, appointed on 14 September 2010. The position is within the portfolio of the Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills, Jobs and Workplace Relations, Chris Evans and is administered through the Department of Education,...
from 2004 to 2006. In January 2006 he was appointed Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Revenue. Dutton successfully retained Dickson in the 2007 federal election with a majority of 0.26%, after an 8.76% swing to his rival Fiona McNamara.
In 2009, the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) proposed to alter Dutton's electorate of Dickson in a way that would tip the political balance of the seat towards the Labor Party. Wary of losing his place in the House of Representatives, Dutton sought endorsement for the safe Liberal seat of McPherson
Division of McPherson
The Division of McPherson is an Australian Electoral Division in Queensland. The division was created in 1948 and is named for the McPherson Range, which forms one of the divisional boundaries...
. Despite the support of Liberal leader Malcolm Turnbull
Malcolm Turnbull
Malcolm Bligh Turnbull is an Australian politician. He has been a member of the Australian House of Representatives since 2004, and was Leader of the Opposition and parliamentary leader of the Liberal Party from 16 September 2008 to 1 December 2009.Turnbull has represented the Division...
, the retiring member for McPherson Margaret May
Margaret May
Margaret Ann May , Australian politician, was a Liberal Party of Australia member of the Australian House of Representatives from October 1998 to July 2010, representing McPherson, Queensland....
, and several other party luminaries including former Prime Minister John Howard
John Howard
John Winston Howard AC, SSI, was the 25th Prime Minister of Australia, from 11 March 1996 to 3 December 2007. He was the second-longest serving Australian Prime Minister after Sir Robert Menzies....
, Dutton was defeated by rival candidate Karen Andrews. The AEC's final redistribution cemented the erosion of the Liberal Party's position in Dickson, albeit less adversely than originally proposed. With no better option available to him, Dutton opted to recontest Dickson at the next election.
Dutton contested and won Dickson at the 2010 federal election, achieving a swing of 5.45% to easily overcome the 2009 redistribution. This resulted in a two-party preferred outcome of 54.69% as of the 23rd of August 2010.
Following the 2010 election, he was appointed as Shadow Minister for Health & Ageing.
Peter Dutton is regarded by some as a potential future leader of the Liberal Party.