Author: James Blackwell (MENAFN - The Conversation) With Peter Dutton recently shifting into a more outward-facing portfolio as Australia's new defence minister, we must begin to assess his past actions and statements through an international policy lens. Placing someone like Dutton â a strong political partisan with a litany of controversial views â in the defence role has the potential to damage the department's ability to achieve some of its long-term strategic objectives. The defence portfolio is no longer concerned solely with Australia's participation in conflicts overseas or our national self-defence. In recent years, defence has been forced to grapple with non-traditional security issues, such as climate change-related disaster relief, as well as the current pandemic. It has also put a concerted effort towards engaging more with First Nations communities.