Peter Dutton is a lot of things: a right-wing firebrand, a former Queensland cop and a champion of what he believes are simple Australian values. But he’s also a multi-millionaire who colleagues describe as pleasant, shy, but fiercely ambitious.

Today, the author of the latest Quarterly Essay: Bad Cop, Lech Blaine, on what’s driving Peter Dutton’s strongman politics.

The Prime Minister’s relationship to the founder of Hillsong has focused attention on the church. But what does evangelical Christianity look like in an age of climate change and coronavirus? Today, Lech Blaine on the appeal of Hillsong and how it influences the most powerful politician in the country.

Lech Blaine grew up in country Queensland. After the 2019 federal election, he spent several weeks driving around the state, trying to understand what makes it different.