Immigration Minister Peter Dutton has felt somewhat under siege of late.
First there was the bungled Operation Fortitude and the 'clumsily worded' press release his office didn't read, then he claimed Fairfax Media had launched "a bit of a jihad" to "bring the government down", and finally The New York Times laid into Australia's 'stop the boats' policies.
It turns out he doesn't know the half of it.
An accidental internet filter is buffering the Liberal minister against a large chunk of his online naysayers.
That filter's name is: Peter Dutton.
Or @peterdutton, the Twitter handle of an American man living in Queens, New York, who is handling the unfortunate case of mistaken identity with aplomb.
@WShottens @Ellecee4291 @amworldtodaypm Yeah, well I'm just a guy in NYC and I don't tend to round anyone up usually.— peterdutton (@peterdutton) September 3, 2015
For months the American Mr Dutton - who has 223 followers - responded to tweets from Australians looking to grill their Immigration Minister in 140 characters or less with a mixture of quick wit, effrontery and the occasional bewildered plea for peace.
@aroom4myfriend Incoherent tweet accuses me of flouting international law? I'm just minding my own business, watching the #oscars.— peterdutton (@peterdutton)
February 23, 2015
@davidakaclean @theage I put on a brave face and face the waves of Australians who mistakenly tweet me day after day...— peterdutton (@peterdutton) September 3, 2015
Even Australian media outlets have mistaken the American's Twitter handle for the Immigration Minister's account, alerting him to interviews on #BorderForce he had no idea he'd taken part in.
@amworldtodaypm @unanoble Leave me alone. You have the wrong guy.— peterdutton (@peterdutton)
August 31, 2015
But the US Mr Dutton, whose good-natured responses were spotted by news site Junkee, has for the most part made the best of an awkward situation.
@jcobevans It varies. I won't get any for a week or so, then I'll get like a couple dozen in a day. Annoying at first; I'm used to it now.— peterdutton (@peterdutton) September 4, 2015
And sometimes the Australians responsible for the misfired tweets are just as charming in response.
@peterdutton Sorry! My bad. pic.twitter.com/Ctpt6gJ80L— David Scott Aubrey (@davidakaclean)
September 3, 2015
Though every now and then Mr Dutton: US-edition can be forgiven for getting a little curt.
@AussieBlokeWA You can't imagine the number of stupid Australians who keep erroneously tweeting me :-(— peterdutton (@peterdutton) September 1, 2015
If not for the Australians hammering him with #BorderFarce gripes his Twitter feed would be an almost uninterrupted stream of links to his photography on Flickr.
ABC Radio Current Affairs publisher Jake Evans spotted the error after the show's Twitter account linked to US-Dutton's Twitter handle by mistake.
Mr Evan's offer to set the record straight in a Junkee article was greatly appreciated by US-Dutton.
@jcobevans If you could end it, that'd be great! But then who'd visit my boring Twitter feed?— peterdutton (@peterdutton)
September 4, 2015
The verified Twitter account of the real federal Immigration Minister, @PeterDutton_MP, follows the US Peter Dutton and it appears the two have corresponded.
"He was very nice to me, so of course I have nothing against him. Plus he has an awesome name," American Peter Dutton tweeted.
And maybe, just maybe, if the tweets stop, US Peter Dutton and Australia's federal member for Dixon could meet in person.
@junkeedotcom PS - I've been to Australia once, in '98. Would love to go back as long as people stop yelling at me.— peterdutton (@peterdutton) September 4, 2015
