Sussan Ley elected leader of the Liberal Party, Jacinta Price pulls out of race for deputy
The woman replacing Peter Dutton as Liberal leader after a brutal landslide defeat has made her stance on key ‘culture wars’ issues known.
Liberal leader Sussan Ley has warned the Liberal Party it needs to “respect modern Australia and reflect modern Australia” in her first press conference after securing the top job.
Speaking in Canberra after her defeat of challenger Angus Taylor, Ms Ley has pledged to “do things differently” as the party confronts one of the most devastating defeats in history.
“We have to have a Liberal Party that respects modern Australia, that reflects modern Australia, and that represents modern Australia,” she said.
“And we have to meet the people where they are. And that’s what I am committed to doing and what I am determined to do.
“I want to do things differently, and we have to have a fresh approach.”
Ms Ley chartered her journey from migrating to Australia as a child, attending boarding school, to her life as a student and then a “farmers wife” and an economist and her “respect for manual labour”.
“It is an enormous privilege to have been elected the leader of the Parliamentary Liberal Party,’’ she said.
“I am humbled. I am honoured. And I am up for the job.”
Not ticking boxes on Welcome to Country
Welcome to Country ceremonies became an unexpected talking point in the final week of the Liberals’ doomed election campaign after booing at an Anzac Day event made national headlines.
Making her thoughts on the matter clear, Ms Ley said: “With respect to Welcome to Country, it’s simple: if it’s meaningful, if it matters, if it resonates, then it’s in the right place.”
“If it is done in a way that is ticking a box on a Teams meeting then I don’t think it is relevant.
“It actually diminishes the value of what it is and it’s important that we understand that,” she continued.
Ms Ley also said that although she is happy to stand in front of the Indigenous flag, and frequently does, she would prefer to see the country united under just one flag.
“We should unite under the one Australian flag, that is my firm view,” she said.
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In a fiery press conference, Ms Ley was grilled on whether the Liberal Party will now abandon net zero climate change targets or support for nuclear power.
“We thought it was settled. Is it settled, or not?,’’ Ms Ley was asked.
“It is a position that you’ve mentioned that we have. But there are different views about how we appropriately reduce emissions,’’ Ms Ley replied.
“Now, we need to reduce emissions in this country, and Australia needs to play its part in reducing emissions. That, I absolutely sign up to.
“We also know that, if we don’t do energy policy well, we can crash the energy grid.”
Asked, “You’re prepared to walk away from net zero?,’’ Ms Ley snapped back.
“You’re putting words in my mouth, Andrew,’’ she replied to Nine’s Andrew Probyn.
Ms Ley has previously backed reforms in the Liberal Party to set targets for female representation of between 40 and 50 percent of MPs.
“I want to say right here and now we need more women in our party,’’ Ms Ley said.
“We need more women. Had we done better at the last election we would have (more) outstanding women in the party room.
“Our fortunes when it comes to electoral defeat unfortunately mean we lose strong women. The end of the last election there was a review done extremely well by my colleague Jane Hume and it went to state divisions.
But she stopped short of backing quotas for women in the Liberal Party.
“I will certainly re-engage with all of those different organisations within a party to absolutely understand how we can improve that trajectory of women.”
Commentator’s five-word slur
Earlier, Ley won the ballot against challenger Angus Taylor 29 to 25 in a vote that lasted less than 15 minutes.
In a surprise move Jacinta Price - who was running on a ticket with Mr Taylor - dropped out of the race for deputy.
News.com.au was sent a text from inside the meeting just after 10.15 am confirming that Ms Ley had emerged with a clear victory.
But the election of the Liberal Party’s first female leader has left some conservatives underwhelmed.
Conservative political commentator and Sky News host Rita Panahi has taken to social media accusing the Liberal Party of being “slow learners” for backing Sussan Ley.
“Malcolm Turnbull in a skirt,’’ she said on X.
The line was previously used by Sky News host Peta Credlin to describe Julie Bishop.
Jacinta Price reacts to “disappointing” result
Ms Price, who only days earlier defected from the National Party to join the Liberals and run for deputy, made no comment as she left the party room.
“I will making comments in due course,” she told reporters when asked if the switch was worth it.
She later sent out a statement saying she was “disappointed” Mr Taylor was not elected leader but “respected” the decision made by her colleagues.
“I was contesting the position of Deputy Leader on a ticket with Angus Taylor, and given the outcome with respect to the position of Leader of the Liberal Party, I chose not to contest the position of Deputy Leader,” she said.
“I recognise that I am new to the Party, and am grateful that our Party is one that afforded me the opportunity to consider putting myself forward for the position of Deputy Leader in those circumstances.
“Ultimately, I want the best outcome for all Australians – that is why I entered politics, and why I continue to serve as a member of the Australian Parliament.
She said the outcome of the vote was “not the one that I would have wanted” but stressed it would not lessen her commitment to the Liberal Party.
“If the Coalition is to offer hope and a way forward for our nation, unity must prevail more within us now more than ever,” she continued.
“That is why I will work with Sussan Ley and Ted O’Brien to ensure the Coalition is a formidable Opposition to the Albanese Labor government, and presents a compelling alternative to the Australian public at the next election.”
Angus Taylor responds to defeat
Addressing the media after her win, Ms Ley paid tribute to the contribution of Liberal MP Angus Taylor after a bitterly fought leadership race.
“Can I say something about Angus Taylor? Can I acknowledge Angus Taylor for putting his hand up to lead the Liberal Party?,’’ she said.
“He would have been a fine leader of the Liberal Party at this time. Angus and I have worked collegiately together over many years - in government, and in opposition.”
In a statement, Mr Taylor said Ms Ley had led a remarkable life and becoming the first woman to lead the Liberal Party was a milestone for the party.
“Together, we will work to earn back the trust of Australians and build a stronger future for our party, and importantly, for our country,” he said.
“Economics is ultimately about people. Over the past three years, Australians have experienced a record collapse in their standard of living – rising prices, falling wages, and a growing sense that hope is becoming a luxury product.
“I’m proud that we took to the election strong and practical plans to beat inflation sustainably; repair our housing and energy markets; revive growth by backing small business and investment; deliver targeted, timely tax relief; and restore the Budget to protect our nation.
“The Liberal Party has suffered an historic defeat, and we have lost many good people in this election.
“We must do better and we must unify.”
Albo sworn in as Liberal showdown takes place
Ms Ley walked into the meeting just before 10am, with challenger Mr Taylor not far behind after trying to open a locked door into the partyroom.
Senator Jacinta Price was spotted making her way into the Liberal Party room for the first time flanked by several MPs including Tasmanian Claire Chandler.
Victorian Dan Tehan, who is regarded as a future leadership contender, also arrived at the meeting alone.
Earlier, the swearing in of Labor ministers continued over at Government House with Foreign Minister Penny Wong arriving with her daughter Alexandra and Health Minister Mark Butler also clutching his young son.
New Labor frontbencher Sam Rae also arrived with his wife and young son.
Defence Minister Richard Marles, who was dubbed “a factional assassin” over his role in the cabinet reshuffle was also sworn in by the Governor-General.
Senator Jacinta Price pulls out of deputy race
Ahead of the leadership vote, Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price announced she would run for the deputy Liberal Party leadership under Mr Taylor - just days after joining the Liberal Party room.
Hugely popular with the membership base and political donors, Senator Price has the right as a Country Liberal Party MP to choose which party room she sits in.
Endorsing Mr Taylor’s bid for the leadership, Senator Price confirmed on Sunday morning that she would run as his deputy.
“As I’ve said with respect to my decision to change party rooms, these are not matters which I take lightly and this decision today brings with it a great deal of responsibility which I fully accept,’’ Senator Price said.
“There is no question that returning to our roots as a party is critical right now. If we want to inspire and empower Australians across our country, we must return to these roots.”
Senator Price said the party must stand for the “forgotten people” and “mainstream Australians”.
“I think of my grandparents who were by no means the elite, building their first home by hand with hessian bags and washing their clothes in the creek in Warners Bay, NSW,’’ she said.
“But they saw a spark, a vision of a brighter future for generations to come.”
But she chose not to nominate herself to be deputy of the Liberal Party after her candidate - Angus Taylor - was unsuccessful.
Her big switch to the Liberal Party was backed by former prime minister Tony Abbott and other conservatives.
Liberal MP Tim Wilson flirted with a leadership tilt before ruling himself out.
Battle of the duds
Speaking on breakfast TV, Treasurer Jim Chalmers labelled the contest for one of the toughest jobs in Australian politics as “a battle of the duds.”
“I don’t think that would be an improvement. I think whoever wins this battle of the duds today,’’ Mr Chalmers said.
“The Liberal Party will still be the party of lower wages, higher income taxes and nuclear reactors, and that will show that whoever wins this ballot today, they haven’t learned the lesson of the last three years.”
Who’s in and who’s out
With a number of Liberal seats on a knife edge the Liberal Party director Andrew Hirst had to decide who could vote in the leadership showdown.
He confirmed Bradfield’s Gisele Kapterian, who appears to have won with 0.01 per cent of the vote, had a golden ticket.
But Liberal candidate Amelia Hamer, who failed to unseat Monique Ryan in the Victorian seat of Kooyong, did not.
The candidate for Longman, which is still being counted, was also included in the voting class.
The Liberal candidates for a group of three-cornered contest votes in Flinders, Monash, Grey and Fischer all took place in the vote as well.
The Liberals will be left with 29 lower house seats and 25 senate seats, marking a total of 54 people who voted for the leadership.
That doesn’t include Nationals MPs naturally and once they are included the Coalition’s numbers in the House of Representatives have still undergone a brutal cull but are over 40.
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