“I said to the prime minister that his mum would be incredibly proud of his achievement tonight, and he should be very proud of what he’s achieved,” Dutton said from Liberal HQ in Brisbane.

“It is not our night as I point out, and there are good members and candidates who have lost their seats.

“I am blessed to have an amazing family — Bec, and Harry and Tom. They have stood by me through thick and thin and I am grateful for the support and their love.”

Dutton praises victorious France, reflects on public life

“Our liberal family is hurting across the country tonight, but including in my electorate of Dickson, and I want to say thank you very much to all of them.

At times emotional, Australian Liberal Party leader Peter Dutton accepted responsibility for the Coalition’s election loss. Source: AP / Pat Hoelscher

He noted being defence minister as a career highlight and described serving as Liberal party leader since May 2022 as “the greatest honour”.

“We’ll do that because we know our values, we know our beliefs, and we’ll always stick to them.”