Inside Peter Dutton’s extraordinary change in fortunes as he follows the ruthless Tony Abbott – Peta Credlin strategy to destroy Anthony Albanese’s government

A Liberal opposition leader is campaigning for tough border protection policies as the Labor government slowly sinks in the polls.

It’s not the present – ​​although it could be: it’s Tony Abbott leading his ‘stop the boats’ campaign against the Rudd-Gillard-Rudd government in 2013.

Abbott – closely advised by his team, including then-immigration spokesman Scott Morrison and close adviser Peta Credlin – capitalized on the Coalition’s reputation for being tough on national security and border issues to put relentless pressure on the ALP.

It was part of a campaign that helped bring Abbott to power in the 2013 federal election.

And now Peter Dutton appears to be attempting to sing from the same hymn sheet to turn voters against Labor in the wake of a Supreme Court ruling that released 141 asylum seekers onto the streets.

Sunday’s latest Newspoll showed voters have returned to the Coalition, which is now on par on the two-party preferential vote: 50:50 for two parties.

And Mr Albanese is now just three points ahead of Mr Dutton in personal approval ratings. The Prime Minister’s rating fell by two points to 40 percent, while Dutton lagged slightly behind with 37 percent.

It is undoubtedly a disappointing poll for the Prime Minister, who has struggled to please voters amid rising costs of living and following the failure of the Voice referendum.

Mr Dutton has used the recent Supreme Court asylum seeker decision – which Labor strongly opposed – to repeatedly target the government with a barrage of questions and criticism over the way it has been handled.

The opposition has condemned Albanese’s government by continuously repeating the slogan that ‘hardcore criminals’ had been released onto the streets under Labor control – even though the opposition had no choice.

The coalition also benefited from the arrival of an asylum seeker boat carrying twelve illegal immigrants to Australia last week.

Mr. Abbott employed a similar strategy.

By 2013, some 300 boats carrying illegal immigrants had reached Australian shores – with Mr Abbott repeatedly hammering that his party would ‘stop the boats’.

The campaign took place amid a series of drownings at sea and also appealed to Australians concerned about migration.

Mr Abbott went on to win the 2013 election and kept his promise, with the number of illegal boats falling to just one in 2014.

Dutton’s immigration focus has become clear in recent weeks.

Just last month – before the court ruling – Mr Dutton asked: “Why did they lose control of our borders when they were still in government?”

And in the wake of the High Court ruling, he has blasted the Labor Party for appearing ill-equipped and unprepared to handle the release of 141 asylum seekers – some of whom have been described as ‘hardened criminals’.

He has positioned himself as, like Mr Abbott, the ‘tough on borders’ alternative Prime Minister who could tackle the dire situation if given the chance.

The coalition pressured Labor to come up with a Band-Aid solution to the High Court’s order last week, vowing to work through the night and into the weekend to pass legislation to keep affected asylum seekers under surveillance.

Ultimately, Labor and the Coalition worked together to pass a bill that would allow these individuals to be fitted with ankle monitors and subject to a curfew.

Although he supported the legislation through both the House of Representatives and the Senate, Dutton later said he did not believe the restrictions went far enough.

But Labor claims it is balancing its promise to keep Australians safe with its responsibility to act in accordance with the law.

Immigration Minister Andrew Giles said on Question Time on Monday that Labor creates “strong laws” and has a “relentless focus on compliance… two things that members know very little about against each other.”

“It’s not tough talking that keeps Australians safe,” Giles said.

Home Secretary Clare O’Neil was equally scathing about the Coalition’s border policy.

During the same question period, she noted that immigration and border policy has a “long and checkered, highly politicized history.”

She said: “The primary purpose of our government is to ensure the safety of Australians and we came to power with a huge range of issues to deal with, particularly in the Home Affairs area.

‘One of them was the broken migration system.

“Many of the individuals involved in the most egregious violations of human rights and people’s security in our country entered the country under the leadership of the opposition.

“The Leader of the Opposition talked a big game, but when push came to shove, he cut funding for immigration enforcement and ensured our borders were not secure.”

Ms O’Neil, by comparison, said Labor has taken a “deliberate approach” to ensuring all laws are constitutional and effective in protecting Australians.

“Laws that don’t work don’t make us safer, they make us more dangerous,” she said.

For her part, Credlin herself noted that she does not think Mr. Dutton has made a wrong move in the wake of repeated challenges against Mr. Albanese.

“He was brave in the Voice, he read the community mood much better than his opponents, and especially in the Prime Minister’s absence he dominated Parliament,” she said.

‘A scorching summer awaits the Prime Minister. And if this week gives its best, so will the Australians.”