Lech Blaine on Peter Dutton

The Curiosity Lecture series returns to the Festival with a line-up of our most thought-provoking speakers delivering one-time talks on topics of intrigue, interest and importance. 

What does Peter Dutton know about the Australian electorate? Has he updated Menzies’ Forgotten People pitch for the age of anxiety? Or will he collapse the Liberals’ ‘broad church’?

Car Crash author Lech Blaine’s recent Quarterly Essay, Peter Dutton and the Forgotten People, situates the Leader of the Opposition in the Australian suburbs his campaign targets. After the Liberal Party’s electoral coalition splintered in 2022, influential conservatives urged Dutton to pursue outer-suburban and regional seats held by Labor – a tactic he’s used in response to the Voice to Parliament referendum, mortgage crunch and housing crisis.

Reflect on Dutton’s political strategy and where he will lead the Coalition next.