"So is Dutton afraid of being shown up as a dunce? or does he fear a trap?"
both -- and, he's right on both
1. Dutton knows that the poop Oz is in comes on the back of 9 years of Liberal Party government mismanagement - so - all problems raised - are going to be sheeted home to the previous government - that's crystal clear. So, yes, it's a trap - more accurately, a natural hazard that's impossible to avoid
2. Dutton knows that he's not the sharpest tack in the box - he would know that his nickname at the police academy was 'Knownuttindutton' ------------- and, he's done enough to recognise that there's a lot smarter people in the room than him ------- meaning that he can do only 2 things if he attended the summit -
a. sit and shut up - which makes him awkward and would look awkward or b. open his trap and prove beyond all doubt that he's stupid
it's a no win situation for Dutton to attend - a large negative value
it's a no win situation if he doesn't attend either - he looks like a dummyspitting fool - but, it's LESS of a negative loss for him
politically - I suggest in Duttons case, non attendance - it's probably the wisest course of action.
A smart leader would be able to turn attending into a win -------- for Dutton - that's not possible.
