Federal election 2025: Peter Dutton talks tough on Trump, ‘weak’ Anthony Albanese and his positive future plan

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has declared he will not make any concessions if he has to deal with Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs as Australia’s next prime minister.

In a wide-ranging speech on Friday — in which he also attacked the “east coast-centric nature” of the Albanese Government — Mr Dutton said he was “not giving anything away” in the event of a trade deal with the US President.

Mr Trump this week announced a 90-day pause on his “reciprocal” tariffs on Australia and other trading partners. Australian exports to the US will be subject to a 10 per cent tariff but the penalties soar up to 145 per cent in China’s case.

Mr Dutton told The West Australian’s Leadership Matters special event on Friday that strong leadership is the key to managing the Trump administration.

“The problem at the moment is that not one Minister in the Albanese Government has a relationship with their counterpart,” Mr Dutton said.

“On every announcement that’s been made so far, Penny Wong, Don Farrell, Anthony Albanese have found out about it when it’s been reported in the press.

“I can’t recall a time in my lifetime where a Government has been treated with such disdain and it shows the weakness of the Prime Minister.”

Asked what he would give away to secure a better deal, Mr Dutton said: “We’re not giving away anything.

“I would advocate very strongly on our behalf, whether it’s President Trump or anyone else,” he added.

“I believe we have an enormous contribution to make to the relationship and I think there needs to be a greater appreciation in Washington for that.”

Mr Dutton also shared his thoughts on the White House meeting in which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was belittled by US Vice-President J.D. Vance and Mr Trump.

Asked to react to a series of photos, one of which showed the Vice-President, Mr Dutton described his story as “remarkable” but said he was “disgusted” by the treatment dished out to the Ukrainian leader.

“I don’t agree at all with his or President Trump’s treatment of President Zelenskyy, who I think is a modern day (Winston) Churchill,” he said.

“I was disgusted with the scenes at the White House.”

In his opening speech, Mr Dutton accused the Prime Minister of being “obsessed with me” but said his time as a police officer had helped him develop a thick skin against personal sledges.

He said the Albanese Government’s record on cost of living and small business bankruptcies would speak for itself.

“I don’t need to attack the character of the Prime Minister to win the next election. People can draw their own conclusions,” he said.

“What I would offer the Australian people is a much more positive future . . . we’re going to cut the fuel excise by 25-cents-a-litre so that we can reduce every tank by about $14 and that will help families.”

Mr Dutton also said the Coalition’s east coast gas reservation policy would also put downward pressure on costs across the economy.

Modelling by Frontier Economics released this week suggests the Coalition’s gas plan would reduce wholesale gas prices by 23 per cent — from about $14 per gigajoule to below $10 — which would flow through to bills.

Mr Dutton slammed the “east coast centric nature of the Albanese Government”, claiming it was more focused on shoring up votes in inner city Sydney and Melbourne against the Greens.

He described the Federal election as a “sliding doors” moment for Australia, with three weeks to go until polling day on May 3.

The Opposition Leader also spoke passionately about his desire to get more projects going.

He noted more than 80 iron ore, coal and gas projects had stalled, which he said would have created 48,000 jobs under a Coalition Government.

There was impromptu cheers in the room, packed with Coalition faithful and industry figures, when Mr Dutton vowed to de-fund the “disgraced” Environmental Defenders Office.

He attacked Labor’s revival of Nature Positive laws, saying the Coalition’s plan is to make sure that it “never sees the light of day”.

The on-again, off-again laws were shelved in Februrary by Mr Albanese after public lobbying by Mr Cook and concern from the mining industry.

“If it was about nature and it was about being positive, you would have received the detail,” Mr Dutton said.

“They knew it would be significantly detrimental to people in WA, but advantageous if you’re seeking green votes in Sydney and Melbourne.”

Mr Dutton also fired up over the Government’s move to delay a decision on Woodside’s $30 billion North West Shelf extension.

A second extension to Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek’s deadline, until May 31, was confirmed on Budget day, sparking anger from the Opposition that accused Labor of “cynical political manipulation”.

The State Government approved Woodside’s proposal for a 50-year project extension in mid-December, after a six-year process.

“Why would you take a decision in the run up to an election to defer that decision until the 31st of May, cynically placed just after the election, if it was going to be a good outcome for Western Australia?” Mr Dutton said.

“That project is equal to 3000 jobs and the countless tax dollars and royalties into the WA and national economies.”

Grilled over his $331 billion plan for seven nuclear power plants, Mr Dutton said it was about efficient use of taxpayer funds.

“Bill Gates argues that we should have the lowest footprint with the highest energy for every square metre of impact on the environment, and he’s exactly right,” he said.

Mr Dutton said nuclear was one of the many energy sources the government should embrace.

But he appeared to leave some wiggle room, declaring: “I don’t carry a candle for nuclear or any other technology.”

“We can subsidise all sorts of energies, and we’ve done that and people have invested into it . . . I suspect if we put subsidies into nuclear then people would flock to it,” he said.

“It’s about how we deliver the most efficient process and system. The top 20 economies in the world, Australia is the only outlier and why would we be swinging against that tide.”

Mr Dutton said the Coalition was “not against renewables” but highlighted the “social licence issue” for people living in semi-rural or regional areas.

“For them their local communities are paying the price for loss of amenity and impact on their prices and property . . . and I don’t think we have enough regard for regional Australians being part of this debate as well.”

Mr Dutton said the arrest of a 16-year-old boy, for allegedly buying and testing bomb-making ingredients to target his home, showed that politics is a “brutal business”.

“It’s the reason my three children have been cured of any interest in politics whatsoever and I see that as a small blessing,” he said.

In a candid moment, he described family and his experience on the beat as a police officer in the 1990’s in Queensland as a driving force behind his ambition for the top job.

The Coalition has pledged $400 million for mental health, with a focus on youth, if it wins the election.

“I remember harrowing scenes of going to suicide, scenes of going to deliver death messages,” Mr Dutton said.

“A mother one night just fell to her knees, screaming in tears — all of that has an impact on you.

“The reason I want to make sure that we can end the scourge of domestic violence, and the reason I want to protect young children is because of that experience and because of my own experience as a father-of-three.”