Lech Blaine in conversation with John Birmingham

John Birmingham is in conversation with Lech Blaine discussing his Quarterly Essay; On Peter Dutton and the Forgotten People.

Where will Dutton lead the Coalition?

A portrait of Peter Dutton, as well as a modern interrogation of the Australian suburbs and the people who live there.

2022 saw the splintering of the Liberal Party's electoral coalition. Influential conservatives have urged Peter Dutton to forget about the seats lost to the Teal independents and instead pursue outer-suburban and regional seats held by Labor. Since then we have seen his manoeuvring on the Voice. The mortgage crunch in the outer suburbs. The rental and housing crisis, especially for millennials and under.

What does Peter Dutton know about the Australian electorate? Has he updated Menzies' Forgotten People pitch for the age of anxiety? Or will he collapse the Liberals' "broad church"?

An essential essay for 2024.