Liberal leader Peter Dutton kicks off WA tour by admitting his party has ‘a lot of rebuilding to do’

“The more you meet me, the more you’ll like me.” That was Peter Dutton’s promise on Friday, as he began his five-day “rehabilitation tour” in WA ahead of the next Federal election. Rehabilitation? If image is everything, then Prime Minister hopeful Peter Dutton has a problem. Even his old boss, Malcolm Turnbull isn’t too complimentary of his former Home Affairs Minister. He calls Mr Dutton a “thug”. Sure, Mr Turnbull could be accused of being bitter and twisted, still angry he was dumped by his own MPs as their leader — and losing the prime ministership to Scott Morrison. But you get the idea. Mr Dutton looks more like a bouncer than perhaps someone who should be PM. In the race for Kirribilli House, recent polling in The Australian showed 39 per cent of voters believe Mr Dutton would make the better PM, while 46 per cent said they preferred Anthony Albanese as Top Dog. Other polls have him in front. Either way, there’s a lot of work to be done by Mr Dutton if he wants to be PM. “The more you meet me, the more you like me,” he said, admitting there was a lot to be done in winning over sceptical West Aussies. “Off a difficult state election and a difficult Federal election, we have a lot of rebuilding to do in WA. “I am here to listen to the people of Western Australia — to make sure we can introduce policies to help this great state grow, not shrink.” But he points out that this election contest is very different to 2022 when then Labor Premier Mark McGowan was the darling of WA politics and a weapon for Mr Albanese. “This contest at the next election is not between Scott Morrison and Mark McGowan,” Mr Dutton said. “It’s between Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton.” WA voters ruthlessly punished the Morrison administration in 2022. WA Seats that bled blue, turned red — the once Liberal fortresses of Hasluck, Swan, Pearce and Tangney falling to Anthony Albanese’s Labor — delivering him a majority government. Julie Bishop’s old seat in Curtin also fell, to Teal independent and Climate 200 favourite Kate Chaney. It was therefore no surprise, that Mr Dutton, on a cold Friday morning, began his five-day-visit of WA at the Tucker Fresh IGA in Innaloo — within the electorate of Curtin. Mr Dutton was at pains to point out that Ms Chaney could help keep Mr Albanese in The Lodge as part of a minority government. “A vote for Kate Chaney is a vote for Anthony Albanese,” Mr Dutton said. “As we look across the country, we have a number of key seats that we need to win. “Curtin is at the top of that list. “People might like independent candidates. “But green Teal candidates are candidates who don’t support the live sheep industry, people who ultimately are running a left-green agenda which I think is at odds with the people of Curtin.” Flanked by his WA-born wife Kirilly, Liberal senator Michaelia Cash and Curtin Liberal candidate Tom White Mr Dutton was keen to portray himself as a leader in touch — in touch with important issues and in touch with everyday Australians. And what better way to do that, than visit an IGA. As he walked into the IGA, Mr Dutton made sure he spoke to the local butcher. “I used to be a butcher’s boy, washing the trays,” he said. Impressive. He asked the butcher whether cost-of-living was biting, and people were buying less meat. The answer, predictability, was “yes”. Keen to continue highlighting the nation’s cost-of-living crisis, he asked IGA owner Poojan Shah whether he had also noticed a cost-of-living bite. Apparently, according to the IGA owner, people’s shopping baskets were being filled with less and less — a sign that money was tight. Mr Dutton’s signature policy — nuclear power — was also on show as he fronted the press, with the Opposition leader proposing a nuclear reactor for Collie. “My opportunity that I present to the public of WA and people of Australia is to get our country back on track,” he said. “There is a much better way to manage the economy, to deal with the energy transition. “To make sure that we can de-carbonise our economy, but we also need to make sure we can bring electricity prices down. “We need to make sure we have stability in the market. “The energy policy, the contrast between the two parties is very significant. “I want cleaner, I want cheaper and I want consistent energy in our system.” “Anthony Albanese is promising a renewables-only policy which is going to see the lights go out.” Job done. It was then off to the Swan Valley to attend a Critical Minerals and ESG Summit at Sandalford Wines, organised by the LBW Trust and CCIWA. Conveniently, Sandalford Wines is in Hasluck — a seat Mr Dutton wants to win back. When organisers of the event put out the word that they were looking for a keynote speaker, it’s understood Mr Dutton jumped at the chance. And why wouldn’t he? At $1000 a head, the 210-strong room was filled with high flyers — no IGA battlers there. It’s understood Mr Dutton did not have to fork out for his ticket. The wine was flowing — Sandalford 1840 and Sandalford Cabernet Sauvignon on the menu. But the event was all for a good cause. The LBW Trust raises money for underprivileged kids and communities both in WA and overseas by holding such events, in this case also inviting cricket royalty to the event to play some good old-fashioned backyard cricket and help raise some extra money. For some extra cash, you could bid to have Justin Langer, Brad Hogg, Adam Voges, Christina Mathews, Chloe Piparo and renowned author and former SAS soldier Anthony “Harry” Moffit on your side. Mr Dutton to the beat of Mental as Anything’s If You Leave Me Can I Come Too took centre stage for his address at about 1.30pm. There was hope, he’d play a bit of backyard cricket with Langer before he left. But with a plane to board to Broome, he declined the offer to have a go at backyard cricket. Mr Dutton got some laughs with the following: “If you think back, the two political figures who have made cricket famous in this country, one, Bob Hawke, where he copped that bouncer in the eye and the glass of his glasses shattered. “The other one, of course, was the infamous, we could just say overarm bowl from John Howard. “Now the only shot therefore that remains, and I know the money shot for the photographers and for the videographers here today, that I’m not going to give them because I haven’t brought my box with me. “So there’s no way that I’m getting out there on the pitch, not even to face up to Justin Langer’s slowing full tosses.” But he did agree to a photo with Langer, who is no stranger to Liberal leaders buttering up to him — John Howard once trying to talk him into entering politics. On a more serious note, Mr Dutton told the crowd “green tape and red tape” was killing the mining sector. “When you look at what’s happening here in WA at the moment with the environmental approval processes, the interaction with the Federal Environmental Approval Agency, what the government is proposing by way of additional burden and regulation, that is not sustainable. “And so we need to reduce the compliance costs, the timelines involved, and ultimately all of that, the other points that we’ve gone through, have to lead to an ability for projects to get across the line, whereas today they’re not.” And to think, only Day 1 of our chance here in WA, to get to like Mr Dutton a little bit more.