Peter Dutton has been a familiar face in Australian politics for over two decades. But how much do you really know about the man behind the headlines who has positioned himself as a contender for the top job in Aussie politics?
Ahead of the election on May 3, 2025, Peter Dutton’s wife, Kirilly Dutton, penned a “Pitch for Peter” on The Daily Telegraph.
In it, she wrote: “Peter is a listener…He isn’t one of those politicians who speaks over people or tells people how it is. He asks questions. He wants to hear other people’s stories and perspectives… Despite his roles/workload he has always been a wonderful husband and a dedicated and present father to his children. He has always prioritised time with myself and the kids”
It’s a ringing endorsement (although we know she’s definitely biased!). There is plenty of information out there about his politics (we’ve even covered it here); however, the leader of the Opposition is fairly private about his family life.
Read on for more information about the man behind the politics, his wife and their family.
Where is Peter Dutton from?
Peter Dutton is a Queenslander from Brisbane. He was born on 18 November 1970 to Bruce, a builder, and Ailsa Leitch, a childcare worker. He is the eldest of five children and has one younger brother and three younger sisters. Peter grew up with his family in the northern Brisbane suburb of Boondall. His parents separated shortly after Peter graduated from high school.
What does Peter Dutton do?
Peter Dutton is the Federal Member for Dickson and Leader of the Liberal Party.
He was first elected to the federal seat of Dickson in the northern suburbs of Brisbane in November 2001. He’s managed to hold onto the seat ever since, even as favour swung between Labor and Liberal in the subsequent years.
Peter started his working career early on. He worked part-time in a butcher’s shop after school and later on started a family business with his father.
He spent nine years in the Queensland police force, working with the drug squad and sex offenders squad.
In 2000, Peter and his father started a family business, dubbed Dutton Holdings, which bought buildings and flipped them into childcare centres.
Peter has built up quite a property portfolio in his lifetime. He reportedly bought his first property when he was 18 years old, and together with his wife, he owns a $2.3 million four-bed property in Palm Beach, Gold Coast, a shopping mall in Townsville, along with other properties in the ACT and Queensland.
Peter and his family currently reside on a two-hectare property at Camp Mountain in northwest Brisbane.
Is Peter Dutton married?
Yes, as mentioned above, Peter Dutton is married. In fact, he has been married twice. His wife is Kirilly Dutton (née Brumby). The couple married in 2003.
There are no public details about his first wife, other than that they married in 1992, when Peter was 22 years of age. IT ended after a few months.
Before he met his now wife, he was in a relationship with another woman with whom he has a daughter, his eldest child, Rebecca, who was born in 2002. Peter has a shared parenting relationship with his former partner.
Peter met his wife Kirilly a few months before his daughter was born. They were set up by mutual friends and had their first date at the Port Office Hotel in 2001.
Who is Kirilly Dutton?
Kirilly runs the Bald Hills Childcare Centre and the Camelia Avenue Childcare Centre in northwest Brisbane. The businesses are owned by RHT Family Trust, of which Kirilly and their children are beneficiaries. Peter renounced his interest in the RHT Family Trust in 2019 when it brought his eligibility for federal parliament into question.
In April 2025, this issue resurfaced when an episode of ABC’s Four Corners reinvestigated his ties to the trust. It found that Peter did not declare that he was a beneficiary between 2014 and 2016. On his register of interests in 2014, he only listed his wife as a beneficiary, according to the report.
When they first met, Kirilly worked as the personal assistant of Australian-Italian businesswoman Sarina Russo and was a part-time babysitter.
Kirilly mostly stays out of the public eye, often only surfacing to support Peter at functions.
Does Peter Dutton have children?
Yes, Peter Dutton has three children. However, the Dutton family maintains a relatively private life.
As aforementioned, he has a daughter from a previous relationship, Rebecca. She was born in 2002; she is 23 years old as of 2025. Like her mother and grandmother, she is a childcare worker.
Peter has two sons with his wife Kirilly: Harry and Tom. Harry was born in July 2004, is 20 years old as of 2025. He is currently undergoing a carpenter apprenticeship. Tom Dutton, born in 2006, is about 19 years old as of 2025.
However, Harry did join his father on the 2025 Federal election campaign trail. His appearance caused a stir when he said that he and his sister Rebecca were “saving like mad” to own their own houses, hinting that their father, Peter, was not chipping in. However, in later days, Peter did say he would help with a deposit if needed.
