Dutton, Hamer and the image that became an instant election meme

2 months ago 20

Ah, the Kooyong campaign. What heady, absurd days those were in April and May for this reporter.

The Liberal heartland, where first-time federal candidate Amelia Hamer was attempting to take back the seat from independent MP Monique Ryan, was always going to be exciting viewing. But I would not have expected just how wild those weeks ended up being.

Amelia Hamer, Jane Hume and Peter Dutton on the 2025 election campaign trail.

Between the corflute thefts by the MP’s husband, swarms of Exclusive Brethren, secret property portfolios, Supreme Court challenges against the local council over political signs and a grandmother punching a neo-Nazi linked gatecrasher – the campaign was genuinely off the chain.

Which brings us to the photograph in question; chosen by The Age as one of the defining images of the year. Taken at the unofficial Kooyong Liberal headquarters, the Tower Hotel in Hawthorn East, it captures the single appearance by then opposition leader Peter Dutton in the coveted seat during the 2025 election campaign.

It shows Hamer, veteran Senator Jane Hume, and Dutton holding brews inside novelty stubby holders mocking Ryan. The purported expressions of our trio were a cocktail of stunned, grinning, and grimaced.

My colleague, James Brickwood, who snapped the bizarre photo, previously wrote that the image captured a “vibe”, where a tentative Hamer – inexperienced and unsure – was left adrift during the meet-and-greet.

I have a different view. By this point, I had watched Hamer up close for weeks, and at no point did I feel she was awkward. Quite the opposite; in person, Hamer is charming, confident, and self-assured. How she appeared on TV and in the narrative that swirled around her was often disjointed from how she was received by locals on the ground. That narrative emanated mostly from a story I broke about her omissions on home ownership while campaigning as a renter. But in the pub and on the hustings, she was chatty and all smiles.

And so it was on the night this photo was taken. Dutton’s appearance was delayed after nuclear energy protesters in hazmat suits with fake Geiger counters triggered a security alert. The pub was filled with Hamer’s loyal and weary campaigners, and as the night dragged on, people started looking at their watches.

Suddenly, he appeared, followed by the press pack, and the strange pantomime began. He and Hamer swanned about the room taking selfies and engaging in “normal” conversations for the cameras. Hamer scooped up children for pictures and introduced locals to Dutton, who engaged in small talk. After about 10 minutes, anyone with a camera was ushered out the door.

While the photo is a corker, it does not feel like a true reflection of the campaign, or even the vibe on the night.

But what does ring true in the photo is the stiffness of Dutton. I was shocked by the attitude of his chief of staff, who curtly told this masthead that the man hoping to be the next leader of the country would not take questions during this piece of theatre – photos and images only.

I was astounded. Just hours earlier, known neo-Nazis had performed an ugly stunt outside an early voting centre dressed as Hasidic Jews. It was one of the absolute lows of the campaign and the dominant story of the day. When I asked if Dutton was willing to address what happened in the very electorate he was visiting, the staffer simply turned his back and walked away.

The photo quickly became a meme. Hamer had already received a drubbing online for being a “pedigree” Liberal cosplaying as a “common person”. This photo was catnip for Ryan’s social media team, who ran amok with captions: “When you realise even if you do win, your bosses are these two”.

In reality, it was probably just a moment of brain blankness for a weary Hamer, who later laughed about the photo during the campaign.

What is striking now is that the one “awkward” face in that photo has since joined the Victorian Liberals to continue her career, and Dutton has disappeared from politics after the Coalition’s worst loss on record – likely forever.

Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.