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Ex-Liberal leader joins LifeFlight board

written by Jake Nelson | April 10, 2026

Former opposition leader Peter Dutton. (Image: Supplied)

Former opposition leader Peter Dutton has joined the board of LifeFlight Commercial (LFC) as a non-executive director.

The former health minister, who also served as minister for defence, minister for immigration and border protection, and minister for home affairs in successive Coalition governments, has replaced former director Stewart Morland as of last month.

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“Peter Dutton has had a remarkable career in government and business, and his appointment strengthens the board immeasurably,” said LFC chair John Lewis.

“We’re looking forward to his contributions as we seek to grow commercial operations over the next decade.”

In a statement, Dutton said he was “looking forward to adding his expertise to the board at a time of strong growth across the organisation”.

 
 

“Being based in Queensland, I’ve had plenty of time to observe LifeFlight’s evolution over the past five decades into a major force in the aeromedical sector,” he said.

“I’ve also been privileged as a former Minister for Defence and Minister for Home Affairs to see what LifeFlight was able to bring on its deployments for the Australian Defence Force and Australian Border Force.

“LifeFlight is making great strides across Australia and internationally, which makes it an exciting time to become part of the board.”

Launched in 2018, LifeFlight Commercial aims to “strengthen LifeFlight’s community rescue helicopter service by channeling funds from the entity into LifeFlight’s core mission of saving lives”, the organisation says.

LifeFlight earlier this year said 2025 was another record year for patient retrievals, with activity up across both its helicopters and jets.

The aeromedical provider, which recently invested in new AW139 rescue helicopters, said it assisted 8,838 people in 2025 – up 4.2 per cent on 2024 – translating to one every 59 minutes. Its helicopter crews completed 3,857 missions, while its jet crews helped 1,014 people.

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