The result, many believe, was the lack of a coherent campaign.
"I think people couldn't understand Dutton's policies," a member of Dutton's own party in his Dickson constituency told the BBC earlier on Saturday.
He wondered if Dutton's support for nuclear energy put people off – an issue that analysts such as Dr Mols said could have worked against him because Australian voters had not "warmed up" to the idea of nuclear energy.
Ultimately, the biggest issue this election – cost-of-living – may have helped Labor cement its message that theirs was the steadier hand.
Evanthia Smith, another voter in Dutton's Dickson seat, said she voted for Labor because she believed their candidate would do more to improve public education and access to healthcare.
Dutton acknowledged the huge loss the Coalition had faced: "Our Liberal family is hurting across the country tonight, including in my electorate of Dickson… We'll rebuild from here."
It was the same advice a supporter in Brisbane had for the party: "The party needs to go back to the drawing block and look at their policies. We need to focus on the typical issues: Housing, cost-of-living – they are the biggest."
