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.
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