Full Story The election review the Liberals didn’t want you to see
Mar 4, 2026
Krishani Dhanji, political reporter and live blogger for Guardian Australia, breaks down a leaked post-2025 election review. She describes why party officials tried to hide it. She outlines leaks, critiques of Peter Dutton’s leadership, policy missteps like the nuclear pitch, and how polling and misreading voters led to alienating women and multicultural communities.
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Why The Review Was Shelved
- The Federal Liberal executive chose to keep the 2025 review secret because it is brutally critical and politically explosive.
- The original Prue Goward and Nick Minchin draft was scathing of Peter Dutton and was later amended then withheld by the executive.
How The Report Escaped The Party
- The review leaked first into tight Liberal group chats and then exploded across media, forcing Anthony Albanese to table it in Parliament.
- Krishani received a copy the morning Labor's Housing Minister mentioned reading it, and Albanese publicly held and tabled the report during question time.
Dutton Centralised Control And Alienated Colleagues
- The review blames Peter Dutton for centralising campaign control and sidelining party HQ and colleagues.
- It labels him unattractive to women voters and says he effectively acted as leader, tactician and decision-maker without proper collaboration.