The opposition leader says he'll be able to work with the Papua New Guinea government despite its public preference for Labor.
The Pacific nation's foreign minister, Justin Tkatchenko, has given Anthony Albanese's government a rare election endorsement from an overseas nation.
"Our relationship with Australia has never been stronger," he told the ABC.
"Why would you want to change something that is working well?
"I can clearly state that we would, I'm sure, love to see the current Australian government continue and to continue our good work."
The comments are unusual for an overseas politician.
While foreign governments might have their preferences for which side of Australian politics they hope to work with, they are usually guarded about revealing it in public.
Peter Dutton downplayed Mr Tkatchenko's allegiances while campaigning in Melbourne on Wednesday.
"I've known Justin for about 20 years and he's doing a great job as foreign affairs minister," he said.
"He's very colourful up in PNG and he's a friend of our country, so we can work very effectively with the government."
Discussion of Australia's relationship with its closest neighbours has been largely absent from the campaign trail this year.
The biggest clash between the major parties on Pacific matters is over Australia's bid to host the COP31 climate change conference.
Mr Albanese has championed the bid whereas Mr Dutton plans to scrap it, citing costs.
Pacific relationships were at the core of the last federal election campaign, when the revelation of a possible security agreement between China and Solomon Islands landed weeks before the 2022 poll.
Mr Albanese's government has re-oriented foreign policy towards the developing states in the region, signing a number of bilateral security pacts including with Tuvalu and Nauru.
In December, off the back of a major $600 million commitment to back an NRL team in Port Moresby, the Australian and PNG governments announced they would enter negotiations on a formal defence treaty.
Australia is also moving to allow PNG citizens to serve in its defence forces, with the possibility of Australians heading the other way.
"The Albanese Labor Government has worked hard to repair Australia's relationships in our region, to ensure peace and prosperity, and to keep Australians safe," a Labor spokeswoman said.
Mr Dutton is known in the Pacific for his notorious comments made in PNG a decade ago alongside Tony Abbott and Scott Morrison.
Without realising they were being recorded, the three men remarked about the lateness of proceedings before Mr Dutton said "time doesn't mean anything when you're about to have water lapping at your door".
Mr Dutton, then immigration minister, apologised for the widely denounced comments.
