Peter Dutton returns to Canberra crime scene, breaks silence after Federal election drubbing

Peter Dutton plans to make a “graceful exit from politics”, saying he wishes to follow in the footsteps of former leaders who maintain a “graceful silence”.

The ousted Opposition leader returned to Canberra on Wednesday to pack up his office and thank staff, after he became the chief Liberal casualty in Saturday’s election bloodbath.

At the airport, he told reporters he was grateful for the good wishes and messages of support he’d received in the aftermath of his loss in Dickson to Labor’s Ali France, and that he had spoken with colleagues who had also lost their seats.

“The Liberal Party rebuilds from here, and that’s as it should be. So, I wish them all the very best,” he said.

Asked how that rebuild should happen and who should be the next leader, he said that was an issue for the remaining colleagues.

“The best model I’ve seen is where leaders, former, make a graceful exit from politics and maintain their graceful silence, so that’ll be my model,” he said.

Having led the Liberal Party to the worst election result in its history, his former colleagues on Wednesday were still reeling from the shock defeat and contemplating the future of the Coalition.

There was one silver lining for the deflated party on Wednesday, with Tim Wilson claiming victory in Goldstein over teal incumbent Zoe Daniel.

“Three years ago, we were written off, three years ago people said that Goldstein could not be won, I was written off, the Liberal Party was written off in this part of the world and we would not overcome,” he said at a press conference.

“I am very proud, genuinely very proud to say that we are pleased to accept that we have won the seat of Goldstein back.”

It marks a historic comeback for the former assistant minister, who did not rule out a tilt at leadership but is being talked about as a frontbencher in the new-look shadow cabinet.

As the jostling for the leadership continues, Liberal sources have said whoever takes the helm must be prepared to preside over a “pretty profound set of internal reviews, reflections and re-orientations”.

A number of Liberals have said the “warning signs” for their catastrophic result were there in the 2022 defeat, but the Party failed to heed the advice in that post-election review.

Going ahead, the Coalition “cannot prioritise unity and discipline at the price of examining ourselves, otherwise we’ll have a worse result in 2028”, one source said.

This time around, insiders say there will need to be a “pretty comprehensive refresh”, which will need to involve a thorough examination of the function of the Coalition.

“I think the partnership needs to be re-examined,” one Liberal said.

“I’m not saying we should break up, but we need to examine whether this relationship is working in both our interests.”

They said that just as the Nationals affiliation had harmed inner-city Liberals, the Liberal brand had hindered the Nationals.

Nationals’ deputy leader Perin Davey has attributed her loss in the senate race to the deal struck between the two parties. Under convention, she was relegated to third place on the ticket this time around, whereas the Nationals will get the second spot in the next election.

Queensland senator Matt Canavan queried whether it was time to review the status of the Coalition, as he revealed hopes for the Party to explore running in outer suburban and peri-urban seats in future elections.

He described the Coalition as a “business relationship, not a marriage”, and that while it wasn’t the “goal” for the Coalition to break up but that there should be a re-evaluation of the partnership.

“The Nationals Party have been able to hold seats. Now, look, we didn’t win government, so let’s not get carried away, but I do think with the way the Liberal Party is being pulled and pushed in different directions, there’s an opportunity for the country, for our Coalition, for the Nationals Party to run in more seats,” he told breakfast TV.

He suggested the Nationals had been too “gun shy” in the last term and there was too much of a premium placed on “unity”.

“We should never be shy in the Nationals Party of putting forward our view. I worry that we have been gun shy in this last term of parliament in a futile attempt to give the Liberals space or some sort of opportunity to win seats in the city,” he said.