From abusive texts to ruminations on the Guardian and the ABC, the would-be PM is more colourful in language than life

Peter Dutton in his own words:

On ambition, conviction and personality

“Of course I want to be prime minister. One day.”

“I think some leaders fall into the trap of abandoning principles or changing to somebody that they think people want them to be, and I think that’s a huge mistake.”

“If you’re prepared to fight for what you believe in, then people see you as a strong character. You become a warrior, in a sense.”

“I went to uni when I left school, but I was a police officer at a young age and in those formative years and I’d seen good and bad in that job. So I do think that shapes your world view.”

The Dutton manifesto: populism, power bills and fewer immigrants Read more

“I’ve got a self-deprecating sense of humour and I like a drink like anybody else.”

“As a police officer, I have seen the best and the worst that society has to offer. I have seen the wonderful, kind nature of people willing to offer any assistance to those in their worst hour, and I have seen the sickening behaviour displayed by people who, frankly, barely justify their existence in our sometimes over-tolerant society.”

(From Dutton’s maiden speech.)

On immigration

“The reality is that Malcolm Fraser did make mistakes in bringing some people in in the 1970s and we’re seeing that today.”

(A reference to Lebanese immigration)

“This is a tough portfolio but I get a lot of professional satisfaction out of it. I enjoy it a lot.”

“I think in the immigration portfolio, you are defined by Nauru and Manus ... I would love to get everybody off there tomorrow. If I could have brought them to Australia in a charter flight overnight I would have.”





(After Dutton’s resignation from cabinet.)

“Some people have even gone to the extent of self-harming and people have self-immolated in an effort to get to Australia, and certainly some have made false allegations in an attempt to get to Australia.” (On Guardian Australia’s Nauru Files)

On Indigenous affairs



“I regarded it [apology to stolen generations] as something which was not going to deliver tangible outcomes to kids who are being raped and tortured in communities in the 21st century ... I thought it distracted us from that.”

“I didn’t appreciate the symbolism of it [the apology] and the importance to Indigenous people.”

“I think people get a little bored with the [Welcome to Country] acknowledgement. When you’ve heard it from the prime minister, you’ve then heard it from the next Speaker ... It is at the start of every speech and I think it starts to lose its appeal.”

On the media

“Some of the crazy lefties at the ABC, Guardian, the Huffington Post ... [who] draw mean cartoons about me ... they don’t realise how completely dead they are to me.”

“She’s a mad fucking witch.”

(A description of former Sky News journalist Samantha Maiden. This message was intended to be sent to former minister Jamie Briggs, but was sent to Maiden herself.)

On the Pacific Islands Forum starting late

“Time doesn’t mean anything when you’re, you know, about to have water lapping at your door.”

On business support for same-sex marriage

“I’d prefer publicly listed companies stick to their knitting and that is delivering the services for their customers and providing a return for their shareholders.”

(Directed at Qantas boss Alan Joyce)

On white South African farmers

“If you look at the footage and read the stories, you hear the accounts, it’s a horrific circumstance they face ... I think these people deserve special attention.”







