For a self-promoted tough guy – particularly if it involves refugee women and children – Peter Dutton’s career has been marked by many instances of being missing in action.

Abdul Rizvi (P&I 6/2/20) wrote that: “For years now Peter Dutton has boasted of his border protection achievements. But a brief examination of the detail of his boasts shows that while he has excelled in gratuitous cruelty, dog-whistling and eating taxpayers money, his actual border protection record is weak.”

Rizvi cites just a few examples of his weakness. The biggest surge in non-genuine asylum seekers in Australia’s history; jacking up visitor refusal rates costing the tourist industry more than $500 million a year; and, doing similar damage to our agricultural industries. The last is probably a good thing because it reduces casual labour exploitation – although if he had known that this would be the outcome – he probably would have ditched the policy.

He also, puzzlingly or perhaps not), was generous easy on visa cancellations when it came to helping with visas for au pairs for rich people who had links with him. In 2016 he personally intervened to stop an Italian au pair – who came to Australia to work for a former Dutton police colleague and his wife – from being deported. He did a similar service for AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan.

Belinda Jones (Independent Australia 31/8/2024) provided 64 reasons why Dutton is unfit to be PM. Most readers could probably find even more and in the coming months up the election we will keep track of them.

Jones said: “Since assuming office as the Member for Dickson in November 2001, Dutton has regularly graced front pages due to offensive comments, uttered falsehoods, hypocrisy, misogynistic remarks, wildly inflammatory statements lacking evidence, funding scandals, ministerial interventions, statements lacking evidence and other faux pas –with incompetence on top of it all.

One thing he is brilliant at is claiming that his remarks are taken out of context, denied or misunderstood.

The litany of things Gibson lists include his maiden speech criticising courts and civil libertarians saying they were responsible for crime rates so high older Australians were having to barricade themselves in their homes. In similar vein Dutton helped the Andrews Government get re-elected with his claim that Victorians were frightened to leave their homes because of African Street gangs. It turned out Victorian voters greatest fear was him.

In 2008 he walked out of Apology to the Stolen Generations and in keeping with that attitude now refuses to stand in front of The Indigenous Flag or allow Welcomes to Country.

In 2016 he texted ‘she’s a mad fucking witch’ to a former Minister about journalist Samantha Maiden. Only problem was he actually sent it to Maiden.

As for fundament talk competence, in 2017, he awarded a $1.6 billion Home Affairs contract to a company worth $8 at the time. You can’t deny his compassion and generosity – well to the contractor if not the refugees. In 2018 he awarded a $43 million contact to Paladin whose registered address was a Kangaroo Island beach shack.

There is much that you could attack former Qantas CEO Alan Joyce for, but in singling out his support for the gay plebiscite Dutton claimed Joyce should ‘stick to his knitting’.

In 2019 he ordered an AFP raid on the journalist Annika Smethurst’ house and also ordered an AFP raid on the ABC’s Sydney HW.

In between times in 2019 he admitted two suspected Rwandan killers from the country’s genocidal wars to Australia.  He wasn’t so generous when he probed into why a two-years old Australian-born girl from Biloela needed four baby teeth removed. The had rotted while she was in immigration detention.

He does sometimes apologise – or at least he says he has. In 2023 appearing on the ABC’s Kitchen Cabinet program he claimed he had apologised for 2016 comments about Lebanese immigrants. Sadly, there is no record of the apology anywhere.

Jones also points to Dutton’s boycotting the Stolen Generations Apology.

Malcolm Turnbull summed him up in one sword – he’s a thug. Brief, he said.

In one recent development Dutton he has channelled some old Cold War rhetoric by attacking Trump’s statements over Ukraine – no doubt to make himself look tough. Did he actually believe it or was he aware that Albanese, who was arguing with Trump over tariffs, thought he needed to be diplomatic but looked gutless in comparison.

But don’t worry – if Dutton does become Prime Minister you can bet he will bow and scrape to the President with the only real question will be how far he is required to bend over.