LATIKA M BOURKE: Peter Dutton must announce reshuffled front bench and who will take plum foreign affairs role

Peter Dutton is proud of “real depth” in this batting order, i.e. his frontbench.

The opposition leader claims this is stopping him from announcing his reshuffle, required by the retirements of frontbenchers Simon Birmingham and Paul Fletcher.

But he needs to get a move on.

Anthony Albanese could call the election any day now and Mr Dutton should not be sending out those used to bowling to score the runs in the final overs, to extend his cricket metaphor.

The Prime Minister and Opposition Leader have both fired the starting gun since returning to work after the Christmas and New Year break.

Mr Albanese has done 21 media appearances in the last week alone and Peter Dutton unveiled his election pitch to get Australia “back on track,” at a rally on the weekend.

We are already in campaign mode, even if the prime ministerial car C1 has not yet journeyed to Yarralumla so Mr Albanese can ask the Governor-General to dissolve the parliament and issue the writs for an election, all the polls say it is now a proper contest.

And yet, Mr Dutton is still to unveil his top order. He should hurry up.

Even if Mr Albanese holds off and goes for an April 12 election, as is widely speculated, then federal parliament will resume in February, meaning Mr Dutton will want a new Manager of Opposition Business to fill the role Mr Fletcher held.

But most important, given the real possibility he could be prime minister and return the Coalition to government in a matter of months, is who he picks for the foreign affairs portfolio being vacated by Senator Birmingham.

There are some obvious, and less obvious, contenders.

If the decision was a promotion based on performance in opposition so far, it would go to James Paterson, who has impressed all with his work ethic.

He has also claimed scalps in sending his former Home Affairs opponent Clare O’Neil to the dressing room along with her junior minister Andrew Giles following the release of 152 criminals after the High Court ruled that indefinite detention was illegal.

Paterson has also been active internationally, building ties with Republicans in Trump’s incoming administration, including Elbridge Colby, a one-time AUKUS sceptic who is nominated to be number two in the Pentagon.

Also in the mix is Dan Tehan. As the former trade minister, he has the most recent runs on the board when it comes to senior international experience in government.

Julian Leeser, a moderate, who quit the frontbench so he could support the Voice referendum is overdue for the return of his political baggy green.

But there is also a wildcard entry in Sussan Ley, who despite never having impressed upon her colleagues a deep interest in foreign policy, has the power as deputy leader to choose her portfolio, per a long-standing convention inside the Liberal party.

This is why former deputy and moderate Julie Bishop was foreign minister under Tony Abbott, even though the West Australian and supporter of Mr Abbott’s successor, Malcolm Turnbull, was constantly at loggerheads with the Mr Abbott’s powerful chief of staff Peta Credlin.

But despite Mr Dutton’s humblebrag about the depth of his team, in reality, those in the mix all have their drawbacks if given the plum role.

Paterson, whilst deserving, is a domestic weapon. Moving him out of home affairs into an international role that skews towards a bipartisan approach would rob the opposition of their best run-scorer in the most critical innings.

In this respect, he is a victim of his own success.

But also holding Paterson back is his hawkishness on China. The Coalition is mindful of the votes that former prime minister Scott Morrison’s approach toward Beijing lost them in 2022 and putting Paterson into the foreign job could needlessly expose the Liberals on this front in the lead-up to polling day.

Paterson, aged 37, has a lifetime in the Senate ahead of him should he want it, and if he keeps performing the way he is, will have his choice of portfolios for many years to come.

Whilst Julian Leeser should be brought back into team, parachuting him into the coveted foreign affairs role would not go down well inside the party.

The Coalition has been exceptionally harmonious given it was decimated to its lowest ever representation in the parliament just three years ago and this is largely down to Peter Dutton’s success in managing the party room.

Whilst the right is ready to forgive Mr Leeser, such a glittering reward for misjudging his colleagues and indeed the nation on the Voice, would jeopordise internal peace.

Mr Leeser’s position on the frontbench must be elsewhere for this reason, however principled his decision to stand aside to advocate for the Voice may have been.

Dan Tehan is a likeable character and did well as trade minister in the last government and he is undeniably qualified. But he has not brought a similar energy to his role as shadow immigration minister in opposition that Senator Paterson has applied in Home Affairs — that has not gone unnoticed.

Which brings us to the unlikeliest candidate in Sussan Ley. She made her interest in the job clear to Mr Dutton and technically, as deputy holds the ace in that she could demand the role.

But this is not something she would do. As deputy, she prizes a collaborative approach and respects Mr Dutton’s authority as leader and the job he has done in bringing the Coalition to an astonishingly competitive place in the polls after the last election’s wipeout. Even so having made her interest clear, it would be highly unusual for Dutton to break such a long-standing Liberal tradition by blocking her wishes.

Those who have encouraged Ley internally think she has what it takes, starting with how hard she has worked as deputy.

She would bring to the job bucketloads of energy – don’t discount how vital this is for an Australian foreign minister who has to travel huge distances for most overseas trips – and a complement to Mr Dutton’s hardman style and personality abroad.

Working against her is her lack of record on anything substantive in foreign affairs. But as Environment Minister she gained international experience, including through her work to save the Great Barrier Reef from being listed as ‘in danger’ by UNESCO

However, her upbringing is one of the more unorthodox ones for Australian MPs, having been born in Nigeria to English parents, and raised in the UAE before moving to Australia as a teenager. Her father worked for Britain’s overseas spy agency MI6.

This alone does not qualify her for what could be the Foreign Minister’s job by May if Peter Dutton makes history by consigning Mr Albanese’s stint as prime minister to just one term, but it does ground her in the international arena.

With the next election viable for the Coalition, Mr Dutton should get on with readying his team for government and name his opening lineup.