Peter Dutton got a golden chance from Albo’s disastrous voting referendum – but he threw it all away with one of the stupidest policy movements in Australian history, Levi Parsons writes

There is an avalanche of criticism that can be leveled on Peter DuttonFaint election campaign.

From his pie-in-the-sky nuclear energy plan, to the unwise proposal to make an Australian version of Elon Musk‘s doge, and his promise to hold a referendum on the deferment of double citizens who have been convicted of serious crimes.

But nothing was a misstep than in January in January Dutton’s promise to put an end to the regulations of the work and house for tens of thousands of officials.

It wasn’t just stupid. It was perhaps one of the stupidest policy decisions in modern memory – and even cost him his own seat of Dickson.

The idea was to log in traditions, front line employees and everyone who does not have to log in to a laptop in their pajamas on the couch all day and has the opportunity to log in and struggle all day.

Dutton hoped that these employees would say to themselves: “Yes, get those Bludgers and Gen Zooks back to the office.”

Indeed, the policy has been a winner for that demography, as well as bosses unsympathetic for your self-gabified need for a ‘work-life balance’.

But here is the problem.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics estimates that four of the 10 Aussies now regularly WFH.

So that an inscrutably stupid policy decision 37 percent of all Australian employees immediately alienated who feared that they could eventually suffer the same fate if the policy was assumed by the private sector.

Good luck winning a majority when more than a third of the entire workforce of the nation is excluded from the start.

For complete disclosure I absolutely hate WFH schemes. I prefer that the staff were in the office where I can speak to them personally, instead of via e -mail.

But even a dinosaur like I know that WFH is here to stay – whether you like it or not.

Eventually Dutton himself came to the same conclusion and threw the idea back in April.

It may have illuminated the worries of many, but the damage had already been done in most respects.

To make matters worse, having Dutton – the political Hardman – backtrack and probably apologized to his campaign and made him out of it weak and indiscriminately.

Until February Labor slid two parties in most polls with preference and I thought Albo was cooked.

He led the disastrous voting referendum, was blamed for the immigration debacle in which asylum seekers were released with criminal records in the community and were copied from all sides from all sides because they do not do enough to alleviate the costs of life.

Although inflation is now stabilized, which leads to a reduction in cash rates in February, Albanian and the Labor Party have never really had a major policy victory that they can point out – at home or abroad – to convince voters of their effectiveness to rule.

That should have left the door wide open for the coalition, but instead of hammering Albo about Living issues, Dutton focused on obscure policy that nobody asked for.

Nuclear energy in Australia, no matter how you think about costs or usability, will never get off the ground. It would require bi-party support and there is no chance.

Even if the implementation of the technology would lower the price of electricity – that is great news for Aussies who live in the 2050s. For all of us, poor sods who live in 2025, not so much shivered in our power accounts.

In another blunder, Dutton proposed a referendum in March to deport double citizens who have been convicted of serious crimes such as terror -related crimes.

I can see the logic.

I also don’t exactly shout to live in addition to some terrorists, but after Australia had just gone through an extremely toxic referendum in 2023 that the nation distributed on race … It is a ridiculous idea to bring us a similar test again.

It was also a shame to copy Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency.

Australia was told that one of the brightest stars of the Jacinta Price coalition would lead our version of the shadow department that was designed to reduce government spending.

The relocation of Dutton in January to adapt to the Maga movement that was spectacular in the following months when Trump struck a wave of rates on our export-driven nation.

But credit where credit is due.

Albo fought a hard campaign, held on to core issues and looked comfortable with the head head with Dutton in all four debates.

It was a disciplined campaign of work and unlike the coalition there were no slip-ups…. (Except when Albo actually fell off the stage).