Dutton’s silence a holding strategy for a coalition of the disagreeable

Peter Dutton, we should remember, isn’t actually a Liberal — even if he heads the Liberal Party. He’s a Liberal National, that peculiar right-wing confection of the Nationals and Liberals from Queensland, one dominated by the pro-fossil fuels, pro-pork-barrelling, anti-integrity National Party.

That’s not inappropriate, given the LNP didn’t have anywhere near as bad an election as the NSW, Victorian or West Australian Liberal Parties. Tragically for Dutton, however, you can’t win government with Queensland seats alone.

The remaining moderates within Liberal ranks think they’re not going to win back seats from the teals and Labor except by moving back to the centre, especially on climate and integrity. But there are plenty within the hard right of the Liberals who think they lost the election because they were too left-wing. Courtesy of News Corp, they have their own broadcaster to disseminate that argument, for which the term “bullshit” is overly generous.

Then there are the Nationals, a sectional interest with fringe-party levels of electoral support that remain defiantly anti-climate action and pro-rorting.

Meanwhile, courtesy of the election, and Scott Morrison’s remarkable capacity to drive anyone of talent out of the party, Dutton’s frontbench is one of the worst in living memory. Some of the shadow ministers holding relatively senior positions are spectacularly poor: Sarah Henderson in communications, Alan Tudge in education, noted rorter Bridget McKenzie in infrastructure. And then there’s Angus Taylor as shadow treasurer.

Conscious that he’s in charge of a bitterly divided Liberal Party, let alone Coalition, Dutton has adopted a sensible strategy: he’s kept his mouth shut and kept his head down. While the Coalition remaining a policy-free zone for much of this parliamentary term is entirely appropriate, we haven’t even heard from Dutton on what kind of Australia he wants, what vision he has (if any), what he’d like to achieve if he became prime minister.

Getting an episode of Four Corners to himself will help with the profile among the great disengaged mass of the electorate, many of whom wouldn’t have a clue who he is. But the fact that his colleagues are still talking about what Dutton would be like ideologically is a tell-tale sign that he’s made no effort to even show them where he’d like to go as leader. The policy stuff is secondary to what the policy would be aimed at achieving, the detail that can come later; it’s more important to find out what kind of country Dutton thinks we should be.

If we’re any the wiser after tonight, that would be a surprise. Dutton appears content to avoid making waves so his fragile coalition stays afloat.