Editing Peter Dutton (section)

==Howard government (2001–07)==
===Backbencher, 2001–2004===
In early 2001, Dutton won Liberal [[preselection]] for the seat of [[Division of Dickson|Dickson]] in Brisbane's northern suburbs, reportedly with the support of Liberal powerbroker [[Santo Santoro]].{{sfn|Blaine|2024|p=28}} He was elected to the House of Representatives at the [[2001 Australian federal election|2001 election]], aged 30.<ref name="APH"/> He defeated the high-profile incumbent [[Australian Labor Party]] (ALP) MP [[Cheryl Kernot]], a shadow cabinet minister and former leader of the [[Australian Democrats]], with Dickson regarded as a key target seat for the Coalition.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-09-26/defining-dutton/14066096|title=Defining Dutton: Can the Liberals succeed under Peter Dutton?|work=Four Corners|publisher=ABC News|date=26 September 2022|access-date=8 January 2025}}</ref>

Dutton's first overseas trip as an MP was a visit to the site of the [[September 11 attacks]] in New York City. In his [[maiden speech]] in February 2002 he stated that the "[[silent majority]]" and "[[The Forgotten People|forgotten people]]" were dissatisfied with "the boisterous minority and the politically correct" and "the dictatorship of the [[Australian labour movement|trade union movement]]". He was also critical of members of the [[Queensland Council for Civil Liberties]], who he said were "obsessed with the rights of criminals yet do not utter a word of understanding or compassion for the victims of crime".{{sfn|Blaine|2024|pp=31-32}}

Dutton had a relatively high profile as a first-term [[backbencher]].{{sfn|Blaine|2024|p=32}} He was appointed to the House Standing Committee on Family and Community Affairs in 2002 and served on an inquiry into [[Australian family law|family law]] and the [[Child Support Agency (Australia)|Child Support Agency]], where he advocated for lawyers to have less of a role in determining parental custody. The inquiry's report was publicly criticised by [[Alastair Nicholson]], the chief justice of the [[Family Court of Australia]], who said its proposals were "impractical and naive".{{sfn|Blaine|2024|p=33}}

Dutton also spoke frequently on crime topics, including supporting the death penalty for the perpetrators of the [[2002 Bali bombings]] and supporting legislation that would allow businesses to refuse service to drug addicts.{{sfn|Blaine|2024|p=33-34}} In 2004, following the [[High Court of Australia|High Court]] decision in ''[[R v Carroll]]'', he accompanied Faye Kennedy, the mother of murdered infant Deidre Kennedy, on a statewide tour to promote "Deirdre's Law", which sought to amend the [[double jeopardy]] provisions of Queensland's criminal code.{{sfn|Blaine|2024|p=34}}

===Minister, 2004–2007===
On 26 October 2004, Dutton was appointed [[Minister for Employment Participation (Australia)|Minister for Workforce Participation]] in the [[Howard government]], following the Coalition's re-election at the [[2004 Australian federal election|2004 election]].<ref name="APH"/> He was seen as politically close to Prime Minister [[John Howard]]. In July 2005, he was one of the few government ministers to support Howard's suggestion that a national identity card be introduced as an anti-terrorism measure, with a number of cabinet ministers publicly opposing the idea.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2005-07-19/dutton-carries-flag-for-id-card/2061664|title=Dutton carries flag for ID card|date=19 July 2005|access-date=8 January 2025|publisher=ABC News}}</ref>

Dutton was responsible for the government's suite of "welfare-to-work" policies, which were intended to break [[generational poverty]] and [[welfare dependency]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2005-12-05/welfare-to-work-plan-will-ease-poverty-govt/755134|title=Welfare-to-work plan will ease poverty: Govt|date=5 December 2005|access-date=8 January 2025|publisher=ABC News}}</ref> In November 2004, he flagged that the government would be looking at measures to encourage disability support pensioners to enter the workforce.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2004-11-24/govt-determined-to-move-disability-pensioners-into/591216?pfm=ms|title=Govt 'determined' to move disability pensioners into work|date=24 November 2004|access-date=8 January 2025|publisher=ABC News}}</ref> The following year he announced that disability support pensioners deemed capable of working more than 15 hours per week would be moved to the [[Newstart Allowance]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2005-09-13/disability-pensioners-worse-off-under-welfare/2102862|title=Disability pensioners 'worse off' under welfare reforms|date=13 September 2005|access-date=8 January 2025|publisher=ABC News}}</ref> Changes were also made to rules for single parents, with recipients required to prove that they were not in a ''de facto'' relationship or face a reduced payment.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2005-06-30/govt-defends-new-centrelink-rules-for-single/2048374|title=Govt defends new Centrelink rules for single parents|date=30 June 2005|access-date=8 January 2025|publisher=ABC News}}</ref> In April 2005, Dutton announced that single parents would be required to seek employment once their youngest children entered school or receive a decrease in welfare payments. He stated that the changes were necessary to "ensure welfare dependency is not entrenched".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theage.com.au/national/sole-parent-work-plan-attacked-20050402-gdzwgm.html|title=Sole parent work plan attacked|newspaper=The Age|date=2 April 2005|access-date=8 January 2025}}</ref>

Following a ministerial reshuffle, Dutton was appointed [[Assistant Treasurer of Australia|Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Revenue]] on 27 January 2006.<ref name="APH"/> He had previously worked closely with Treasurer [[Peter Costello]] on the welfare reforms,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.afr.com/policy/economy/welfare-changes-will-ease-poverty-says-dutton-20051206-jg668|title=Welfare changes will ease poverty, says Dutton|date=6 December 2005|access-date=8 January 2025|first=Sophie|last=Morris|newspaper=Australian Financial Review}}</ref> and was reportedly a "strident proponent" of [[WorkChoices]], the government's industrial relations reform package.{{sfn|Blaine|2024|p=35}} He successfully retained Dickson at the [[2007 Australian federal election|2007 election]], which saw the government lose office; however, his margin was reduced to 217 votes more than Labor's Fiona McNamara.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.aec.gov.au/profiles/qld/dickson.htm |title=Profile of the electoral division of Dickson |website=Australian Electoral Commission |access-date=3 June 2017 |archive-date=4 May 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170504110752/http://www.aec.gov.au/profiles/qld/dickson.htm |url-status=live}}</ref>