‘Need to think’: New NSW Liberal leaders reconfirms net zero, unsure on gender quotas
NSW’s new Coalition leader has fronted the media for the first time after a “bumpy week” for the Liberal Party.
NSW Opposition Leader Kellie Sloane says she will have to “think about” whether to adopt gender quotas in the Liberal Party as she makes her debut pitch to voters.
The first-term Vaucluse MP fronted the media for the first time after she was declared the new NSW Liberal leader following a party room meeting on Friday morning.
Former leader Mark Speakman reluctantly resigned on Thursday afternoon after more than two years in the top job.
Ms Sloane began by thanking Mr Speakman, who she said “led with integrity”, noting that her leadership would be comparatively defined as “consultative”.
Her election, which was unopposed, comes at a difficult time for the Liberal Party whose “brand” Mr Speakman said was hurt by the federal branch in a parting shot.
Ms Sloane said she agreed the federal Liberals’ abandonment of net-zero had hurt the NSW party.
“I’m not going to stand here and pretend that some of the dysfunction that we’ve seen over time federally won’t impact us at state level,” she said.
“But, I believe in Sussan Ley … They are, you know, an opposition that’s just come out of an election defeat.
“They’re finding their way, but I’ve got great faith that they’ll find their true north, as we have here.
“But we are a united team here. We all get along well.”
Ms Sloane reconfirmed her commitment to net zero, over which the NSW Liberals split with the Nationals this week, as well as Mr Speakman’s YIMBY rebrand.
“It’s (YIMBY) important to me too,” she said.
“We need to be ambitious, especially for young people in our state who seem to have given up on the hope of having a house of their own one day.”
When it came to finer policy details, including around the wages cap and the Narrabri gas project, Ms Sloane wavered, saying more discussions were needed.
Asked about gender quotas – a major sticking point for the federal Liberal Party – Ms Sloane said “I need to think about that one”.
“I have wavered back and forth,” she said.
She paused briefly, before continuing: “Not at the moment, not at the moment in NSW.
“But, I am open to these conversations with colleagues.
“I mean, I certainly want to see more women in our federal party. I’d love to see more women in our state party.”
Asked about a potential reshuffle, Ms Sloane said she hadn’t “put my mind to the shadow cabinet just yet”.
As for Mr Speakman, she said there was “absolutely” a position if he wanted one.
Rumours of a leadership spill have swirled for months.
Ms Sloane said the “time came this week when it was apparent that Mark’s leadership was unsustainable”.
“Probably wouldn’t have mattered how much Mark had tried, and he certainly did, he just wasn’t getting cut through,” she said.
Nazi messages before leader elected
Hours before Ms Sloane was elected unopposed, she became aware that she was the target of neo-Nazi Telegram messages.
As talk of her election grew after Mr Speakman’s resignation on Thursday, she was made aware of messages sent on Telegram by a known neo-Nazi.
The message, sent to about 12,000 people, called Ms Sloane a “hysterical b**ch”.
The author also forced Ms Sloane off X, formerly Twitter, after she came out criticising a neo-Nazi rally outside state parliament.
They also made derogatory statements about the leadership of the NSW and federal Liberal parties, claiming the “girl boss mafia” were taking over.
Ms Sloane reportedly was made aware of the posts on Thursday night and had referred the matter to police.
Asked about the messages and earlier threats on Friday, Ms Sloane said: “I’m not going to be intimidated by then. I’m going to continue to speak up.”
Liberal MPs elect new leader
Under storm clouds, Liberal MPs met at 9am in state parliament to decide their new leader.
Ms Sloane was frontrunner for the role and was endorsed by Mr Speakman, who resigned on Thursday afternoon.
Centre-right Wahroonga MP Alistair Henskens was also widely rumoured to be interested in the leadership but reportedly bowed out on Thursday.
Addressing the media only briefly, Ms Sloane said she was elected by a “united” party room.
“It’s an incredible honour, a huge responsibility, (and) one I don’t take lightly,” she said.
“I’m ready to work for NSW, and I thank my colleagues for the faith and the trust that they’ve placed in me today.”
Ms Sloane was flanked by deputy leader Natalie Ward.
Together, the pair mark the first time the leader and deputy leader of the NSW Liberal Party are women.
Opposition whip Adam Crouch confirmed Ms Sloane’s appointment earlier in the morning.
”I am very pleased to announce that the new leader of the parliamentary Liberal Party is Kellie Sloane.
“She was elected unopposed.
“There is also no change to the deputy leader.
“There is no change to the leader of the Legislative Council.
“The new deputy leader of the Legislative Assembly is Justin Clancy, who was also elected unopposed.”
Ms Sloane, who was first elected in 2023, had long stood by Mr Speakman throughout months-long rumours that a leadership spill could be imminent.
That was until Thursday afternoon when Mr Speakman said the Vaucluse MP had approached him to indicate she would be one of the candidates.
He said the decision to step down also came after a “number of colleagues had indicated to me their preference that we have renewal and regeneration and a new leader”.
Mr Speakman had struck a defiant tone on Thursday morning in a media blitz but by that afternoon conceded he would step down in a dignified press conference.
The Cronulla MP said he would back Ms Sloane and he hoped she would take the party to the 2027 state election.
“Obviously, I’d rather not be giving this press conference,” he said.
“But it is in the best interest of the party, I think, to clear the air, make sure that the party and the leader has clean air going to the next election.
“I am very confident in the leadership Kellie will bring.”
It comes just days after NSW Nationals leader Dugald Saunders resigned and after the Victorian Liberal branch dumped their leader.
Federal Liberal leader Sussan Ley said Mr Speakman had been a “terrific leader” and Ms Sloane was an “outstanding woman”.
“We look forward to everyone across the country holding state or federal governments to account for a cost-of-living crisis because NSW, just like Canberra, is running out of money and doesn’t have a leader who can explain how the cost of living can be addressed,” she said.
Mr Speakman had cited “brand damage” caused by the federal branch and its election loss for challenges to his rein in NSW.
Who is Kellie Sloane?
Ms Sloane was first elected to the eastern suburbs seat of Vaucluse in 2023 and has served as the opposition health spokeswoman.
She had previously sought preselection in the Sydney north shore seat of Willoughby following the resignation of former premier Gladys Berejiklian.
Before entering politics, Ms Sloane worked for about two decades as a journalist, first at the ABC and then at Nine, including a co-hosting role on the Today show.
In 2015, she was appointed chief executive of Life Education NSW and late Life Education Australia, which is famous for the Healthy Harold giraffe mascot.
During her inaugural speech, Ms Sloane recalled reporting from Kuta the fallout from the 2002 Bali bombings.
“I still feel the pain of those families and survivors today, and I remember them more than 20 years on,” she said.
Ms Sloane said she became increasingly frustrated that she had a voice but not a “direct influence” on democracy.
“I could talk about the change that needed to happen and what others should do, but that was not enough for me,” she said.
She described her electorate as a “rich tapestry” and said the challenge as an MP was to “represent everyone equitably”.
“Whether young, old, born and raised locally or, like the majority of those in my electorate, have come from somewhere else and chosen our amazing electorate as home.”
Ms Sloane grew up in regional South Australia at Port Lincoln and then the Barossa Valley and is one of three children.
Her father ran a small businesses and her mother worked at a local school.
Originally published as ‘Need to think’: New NSW Liberal leaders reconfirms net zero, unsure on gender quotas
