http://www.thepunch.com.au/author-bios/peter-dutton/ Peter Dutton is a former copper and small business owner who at the age of 31 defeated Cheryl Kernot to win the Federal seat of Dickson in 2001. He was re-elected in 2004 and promoted by John Howard to be the youngest member of the Howard Ministry.  He first served as the Minister for Workforce Participation and was Peter Costello’s deputy as Minister for Revenue and Assistant Treasurer up until the Coalition lost the 2007 election. Peter scraped in at the ’07 election with a margin of 217 votes (mainly friends, family and some illiterate Labor voters) and joined the Shadow Cabinet as the Minister for Finance and Deregulation and is now the Shadow Minister for Health and Ageing. Peter is married to Kirilly and is the proud father of daughter Rebecca (born in March, 2002) and sons Harry (born in July, 2004) and Thomas (born in November, 2005). en Copyright 2012 The Punch penberthyd@newsltd.com.au penberthyd@newsltd.com.au Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 Politics, opinion, world news, sports news, latest news, views, Barack Obama, Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard, Nathan Rees, Malcolm Turnbull, Peter Garrett, Barnaby Joyce, Australian, federal politics, opinion polls, election, The Punch, thepunch, punch ExpressionEngine 1.6.7 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 15 http://www.thepunch.com.au/images/punch-logo-rss.png http://www.thepunch.com.au/ 144 70 Politics, political opinion, world news, sports news and the latest news and views updated live, daily on The Punch - Australia's best conversation. Search The Punch keywords http://www.thepunch.com.au/search/ http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/gillards-dental-plan-rotten/ Excruciating pain requiring urgent dental work can be debilitating and when treatment is withdrawn we condemn people to a period of absolute misery. Therefore, it is difficult to understand why any government would seek to disadvantage those in need and jeopardise the health of its people. Yet that is precisely what the Gillard Government intends to do from next January when it proposes to close the Medicare Chronic Disease Dental Scheme (MCDDS). The MCDDS provides $4,250 in Medicare benefits for dental treatment over a two year period for those with chronic disease referred to a dentist by a GP. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Peter Dutton) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/gillards-dental-plan-rotten/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/gillards-dental-plan-rotten/#item6841 Mon, 03 Oct 2011 19:35:17 +0000 Peter Dutton | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/warning-labor-incompetence-will-damage-your-health/ Labor is frantically priming the electorate for a “tough Budget” and health and medical research has borne the brunt of the Government’s political posturing in recent weeks. A strategic leak from the Gillard Government proposed a $400 million cut over three years only to be followed by unconfirmed reports of a back-flip.  It is likely the Government was preparing the sector for a worse-case scenario before delivering lesser cuts with the headline message that they had spared research from the worst.  It remains a possibility. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Peter Dutton) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/warning-labor-incompetence-will-damage-your-health/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/warning-labor-incompetence-will-damage-your-health/#item5728 Mon, 02 May 2011 19:45:23 +0000 Peter Dutton | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/roxon-promises-but-she-doesnt-deliver/ Just how Nicola Roxon took her seat at the head of the Health Ministers’ meeting in Hobart last week beggars belief. Ms Roxon’s position as Federal Health Minister is now untenable. Her strident and consistent advocacy for the Rudd health ‘reforms’ leave her now embarrassed, discredited and renders her impotent and therefore unable to remain in the health portfolio. Just as Peter Garrett had to be separated from the disastrous pink batts scandal and other wasteful green energy schemes (he should have been sacked), so too Nicola Roxon must be dispatched from health. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Peter Dutton) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/roxon-promises-but-she-doesnt-deliver/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/roxon-promises-but-she-doesnt-deliver/#item5185 Sun, 20 Feb 2011 19:40:21 +0000 Peter Dutton | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/the-alp-hates-private-health-insurance/ Make no mistake about it. The battle to preserve Australia’s mix of public and private health care will be joined in earnest this week. At stake is a worsening of the shaky health of our public hospitals. At stake also is a direct cost impact for almost half the population who have private health insurance and an indirect, or delayed, impact on those who rely on public hospitals for treatment. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Peter Dutton) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/the-alp-hates-private-health-insurance/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/the-alp-hates-private-health-insurance/#item925 Sun, 16 Aug 2009 19:50:30 +0000 Peter Dutton | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/the-coalition-will-win-the-next-election-and-rudd-will-resign/ Whilst becoming a journalist holds as much interest to me as being a Liberal MP does for Laura Tingle, I find a great deal of attraction in using my inaugural contribution to thepunch.com.au to make some predictions for the next 12 months in Australian politics. The golden rule for an MP is not to become a political commentator, and long term predictions in politics are a dangerous business.  This high risk indulgence is completely irresistible to our competitive friends in the Canberra Press Gallery.  Often they will be based around election timing, leadership and of course who will win the next election. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Peter Dutton) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/the-coalition-will-win-the-next-election-and-rudd-will-resign/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/the-coalition-will-win-the-next-election-and-rudd-will-resign/#item293 Wed, 10 Jun 2009 19:42:37 +0000 Peter Dutton | Author bios | The Punch