Ley’s Liberals to command the opposition frontbench

Sussan Ley’s opposition frontbench line-up is expected to include jobs for up to 60 per cent of her partyroom, including key appointments across moderate and conservative camps.

Liberal leader Sussan Ley with Nationals leader David Littleproud at Parliament House in March. Picture: Martin Ollman / NewsWire

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Sussan Ley’s exclusively Liberal opposition frontbench team is expected to include jobs for up to 60 per cent of her partyroom, with the Nationals decision to quit the Coalition allowing the Opposition Leader to spread appointments across moderate and conservative factions.

Ms Ley, who will announce her shadow cabinet line-up on either Thursday afternoon or Friday, is preparing to appoint deputy leader Ted O’Brien as opposition Treasury spokesman and deliver senior positions for Angus Taylor and Liberal MPs who backed him in last week’s Liberal leadership contest.

If Ms Ley matches the 23 cabinet ministers and seven ministers announced by Anthony Albanese last week, 30 of the Liberal Party’s 51-strong team would receive frontbench roles.

The Liberal leader is unlikely to mirror in total the Prime Minister’s extra appointments of 12 assistant ministers and seven special envoys.

After excluding Gisele Kap­terian, who will likely fall short against her teal opponent Nicolette Boele in the Sydney seat of Bradfield, and senators Linda Reynolds and Hollie Hughes, whose terms expire on June 30, the Liberal partyroom totals 51 house MPs and senators.

The Australian understands Jane Hume will be moved out of the finance portfolio she held under Peter Dutton but will retain a frontline position, which Liberal sources suggested could be health or education.

NSW Liberal senator Andrew Bragg, a key moderate and backer of Ms Ley, has been floated as Senator Hume’s replacement to shadow Katy Gallagher in ­finance.

Victorian Liberal senator James Paterson, the Coalition campaign spokesman and opposition home affairs spokesman, could be elevated to defence.

West Australian MP and former SAS officer Andrew Hastie, one of the few Liberals to win a positive swing in a metropolitan seat, is understood to be keen to break out of that portfolio.

Mr Taylor, who as opposition Treasury spokesman led Peter Dutton’s economic agenda ahead of the election, is expected to receive a plum position that would avoid him moving to the backbench.

The former energy minister and top-ranking Liberal conservative has been touted as foreign affairs spokesman.

Former trade minister and diplomat Dan Tehan – who fought off a cashed-up Climate 200 campaign in his regional Victorian seat of Wannon – is another conservative who will be a key member of shadow cabinet after opting against running for leadership.

Liberal Senate leader Michaelia Cash is expected to remain in her role as legal affairs and workplace relations spokeswoman.

Up-and-coming Liberals including Tim Wilson, Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, Dave Sharma, Aaron Violi, Zoe McKenzie, Maria Kovacic and Garth Hamilton are expected to be elevated.

Once the Liberals line-up is enshrined, it would be difficult for Ms Ley to demote up to nine extra members of her team and replace them with Nationals.

The absence of Nationals in the opposition frontbench line-up means traditional party portfolios including agriculture, infrastructure and transport, and resources will be handed to Liberals.

The Nationals will appoint their own members to key portfolios, with Matt Canavan tipped to lead David Littleproud’s economic agenda.

A senior Liberal Party source expressed concern the Coalition split would “deepen the gulf in policies between the parties and make it harder to reconcile because the competing positions will be so locked-in”.