Sussan Ley wins Liberal leadership, becomes first woman to lead LNP
New Liberal leader Sussan Ley has made a vow to Australians and revealed the Liberals issue she wants to “rule a line under”. Take our poll.
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Sussan Ley says she is honoured to have been elected leader of the Liberals in Canberra vowing to “continue to listen” to Australians after voters resounding turned on the party at the election.
Ms Ley said she wanted to harness the talents of “every single person” in her party room going forward to develop the “clear” policy agenda to win back the support of the community.
“I’ve spent a lot of time this week talking to my colleagues, and I’m optimistic that they have the right ideas, and I’m positive about what lies ahead,” she said.
“But on May the 3rd, we faced a significant defeat, and the scale and the size of that defeat is not lost on any of us, and right now, we have to respect the result and reflect in humility.”
Ms Ley acknowledged her rival for the leadership, Angus Taylor, saying he would have been a “fine leader”.
She said the pair had worked together over many years, describing him as an “intelligent and talented contributor” to the party.
Ms Ley said she understood Australians felt “disappointed” and “let down” by the Liberal Party, and promised to be prepared with a new offering at the next poll in 2028.
“I know at the next election we will have a competitive policy offering,” she said.
Ms Ley has revealed her mother Angela is in end of life care, and she feared seeing her on Mother’s Day might have been the last time she would see her.
She said she would be returning to Albury on Tuesday afternoon to see her mum.
“I will be heading home to be by her side,” Ms Ley said.
“My mum grew up in wartime Britain, and the values of resilience, self-reliance, and persistence that I believe I have today, come from her.”
She said this week had been “tough” knowing her mother was unwell, but she had kept in touch with her medical team.
Ms Ley said there would not be any captain’s calls on policy including nuclear energy and a commitment to net zero by 2050.
She said energy would be part of its review but no policies had been adopted or walked away from at this time.
Asked if Senator Price would have a role on her frontbench, Ms Ley said: “My shadow cabinet will include people who did support me in this room this morning, and people who did not”.
“I welcomed Jacinta into the party room this morning with a big hug, and many of my colleagues did,” she said.
“Jacinta is a clear and talented communicator. I want to make it clear and I have many times how much we welcome Jacinta into this party room.”
Ms Ley acknowledged that she and Mr O’Brien were from regional electorates but said they would speak to candidates that lost their seats to understand “why and how” they had such a poor result.
Asked about quotas, she said more women were needed in the party and would re-engage with different organisations to understand how it can improve that trajectory.
Ms Ley said people should “unite under one Australian flag” but she was happy to stand in front of the indigenous flag.
On Welcome to County ceremonies, she said if it’s “meaningful, if it matters, if it resonates, then it’s in the right place”.
“If it’s done in a way that is ticking a box on a teams meeting, then I don’t think it is relevant. I think it actually diminishes the value of what it is,” Ms Ley said.
Ms Ley revealed that she spoke about the fact the Liberals had “let women down” in her pitch to become leader.
“The number of women who are supporting us is declining, and I want to rule a line under that,” she said.
“I don’t want to see that decline for one more day, and that means a genuine, serious engagement with a new leadership team and a new agenda, and one that I will personally drive.”
Ms Ley, who had previously claimed Palestinians had been “airbrushed out of existence”, made clear she no longer held her previous views about Israel.
She warned that one of the biggest threats to social cohesion was Anthony Albanese’s approach to Jewish Australians and the conflict in Gaza.
“We have a Foreign Minister, Penny Wong, who has let down Australia in the UN and we have a Prime Minister who is intent, it seems, on letting down Jewish Australians on the streets of our cities,” Ms Ley said.
“We will work very hard to hold this Prime Minister and this government to account. This is not acceptable to see what we have seen on the streets of our cities, in the universities, and to hear the stories that I have heard from our Jewish Australian community ... particularly when it’s young women who are studying - it has made my heart break.”
Ms Ley said she wanted to start the role having a “positive relationship” with Mr Albanese, despite having traded barbs in the past.
“I want to do that with good will because every good government deserves a strong opposition, and we will be that strong opposition,” she said.
LIBERAL PARTY ELECTS SUSSAN LEY AS NEW LEADER
Ms Ley became the new leader of the Liberal Party after defeating Angus Taylor 29 to 25 within 15 minutes of the party room meeting in Canberra.
Ms Ley, who represents the regional NSW electorate of Farrer, is the first female to lead the federal party.
She will be joined by Fairfax MP Ted O’Brien as deputy leader, who defeated fellow Queenslander Phil Thompson for the position 38 to 16.
Northern Territory Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price did not put her hand up to contest the deputy role once Mr Taylor had been defeated.
Asked if her switch to the Liberal Party was “worth it,” Senator Price said “I’ll be making comments in due course”.
She later said the decision did not lessen her resolve to “rebuild and strengthen” the party.
Senator Price acknowledged she was “disappointed” that Mr Taylor was not elected leader and said she chose not to contest the deputy leadership out of respect.
“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,” she said.
“So while the outcome today is not the one that I would have wanted, it in no way lessens my commitment to the Liberal Party and the broader Coalition.”
Senator Price said she would work Ms Ley and Mr O’Brien to ensure the Coalition was a formidable Opposition to the Albanese government, and presented a compelling alternative at the next election.
CASH TO BE LEADER OF OPPOSITION IN SENATE
West Australian Michaelia Cash has been confirmed as the leader of the Opposition in the Senate, with South Australian Anne Ruston to be her deputy.
Ms Cash said she was looking forward to working with Ms Ley and Mr O’Brien as part of the leadership team, adding the Liberals needed to “listen to and learn from the messages voters sent us at the election”.
“If there is an immediate lesson we can take out of the election, I think it is that we need to focus on our values and beliefs,” she said.
“I think Australians will better understand our policies if we make them much more aware of our values and beliefs. “
Ms Cash said those beliefs were “based in freedom” and support for “smaller government that minimises interference in people’s daily lives”.
TAYLOR SAYS PARTY MUST ‘UNIFY’
Mr Taylor has congratulated Ms Ley for winning the Liberal leadership, saying the party must now “unify” and “work to earn back the trust of Australians”.
Mr Taylor said his rival, Ms Ley, had “led a remarkable life” and becoming the first woman to lead the Liberal Party was a “milestone for Sussan and our party”.
“The Liberal Party has a proud history, and I firmly believe in its future,” he said.
“I will contribute the best way I can to help get us back in the fight. It is crucial Australia has a strong and competent Opposition to hold this Labor Government to account.”
“This result shows we must do more to convince Australians that the Coalition is the best party to support aspiration, economic opportunity, and the Australian dream,” he said.
“We must do better and we must unify.”
Mr Taylor said serving as the Coalition’s treasury spokesman over the last three years had been “one of the greatest honours of my time in public life”.
“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,” he said.
“I’m also proud that (Coalition finance spokeswoman) Jane Hume and I delivered the strongest down payment on budget repair by an Opposition in 25 years – without economy-wrecking taxes – while provisioning for the defence of our nation.”
‘THE ONLY WAY WE CAN SURVIVE’
As MPs left the party room many stopped to briefly speak to the media, with West Australian Senator Linda Reynolds saying the party had listened to Australians after last week’s election defeat.
“We’ve listened, we’ve acted … we’re united,” she said.
Liberal National MP Andrew Wallace said it was “time to rebuild and get on with it”.
“We’ve got to demonstrate that the Liberal Party is listening to the people of Australia and learning,” Mr Wallace said.
“Sussan is a woman with 24 years’ experience in this place ... you know where all the bodies are buried, you know the tactics, which is very important.”
Asked about some of Ms Ley’s detractors raising concerns about her previous comments about Israel, Mr Wallace said: “I’ve spoken with a number of members of the Jewish community about Sussan, and I’ve spoken with Sussan about her views around Israel. I think Susan has seen the light on Israel in recent years”.
Mr Wallace said the party could not rebuild if it wasn’t united and everybody in their party room understood that.
Asked if he backed colleague Senator James McGrath’s calls for a commission into the future of the Liberal Party, Mr Wallace said they were not going to have a royal commission into the failures of the last campaign.
“But we do absolutely need a very, very detailed examination of what went wrong and how do we fix it,” he said.
“I have supported nuclear in the past, but I do think that all options need to be on the table moving forward.”
Casey MP Aaron Violi said it was important that they now unify behind Ms Ley.
“We have a big job to do, it’s not just on the leader, it’s us as a party to unify, make sure we support her, put the right policies in place, and that comes about from listening,” Mr Violi said.
“We have to work together to understand where we went wrong, why we were rejected by the Australian people, be humble, listen, learn and move forward as a collective. It’s the only way we can survive.”
LIBERAL MPS, SENATORS ARRIVE FOR PARTY MEETING
Mr Taylor and Ms Ley earlier entered the Liberal party room alone ahead of the vote to decide which of the two senior MPs will become leader.
Most Liberal MPs and Senators arrived in small groups for the 10am meeting in Canberra’s Parliament House, though the two leadership contenders opted not to walk in surrounded by their backers.
Ms Ley took the long walk from her office down a corridor past the waiting media where she said she was “looking forward to the Liberal Party party room”.
Mr Taylor took a back route avoiding passing the cameras, though his attempt at stealth was undermined when he went to enter the party room through a locked door and had to turn to face the cameras momentarily to go through the correct door.
Senator Price walked into the room flanked by fellow Senators Claire Chandler and Jono Duniam from Tasmania and Michaelia Cash from Western Australia.
Queensland MP Ted O’Brien entered the room solo.
NSW MPs Alex Hawke and Melissa McIntosh walked together, while Victorian Senator Jane Hume entered with Tasmanian Senator Richard Colbeck and new Monash MP Mary Aldred.
NSW Senators Hollie Hughes and Dave Sharma walked in with South Australian Senator Kerrynne Liddle, while NSW Senators Maria Kovacic was joined by West Australian Senator Linda Reynolds, Tasmanian Senator Wendy Askew and new Bradfield MP Giselle Kapterian.
Victorian Senator James Paterson walked in with WA Senator Matt O’Sullivan, Victorian MP Dan Tehan entered on his own as was returning Goldstein MP Tim Wilson, who said it was good to be back.
Earlier, Liberal MPs and Senators arriving at Parliament House in Canberra were mostly been tight-lipped about who they would vote for.
Few people revealed who they intended to support in the secret ballot as they walked into the building on Tuesday morning, but Tasmanian Senator Richard Colbeck revealed he would be backing Ms Ley.
“I’ll be supporting Sussan,” he said. “I think if we’re going to be seen to be doing ... things differently, we need to actually need to do things differently.
“Rather than talk about it ... we should actually do it.”
NSW MP Alex Hawke, who is widely known to be aligned with Ms Ley, said he was going to “think about it”.
“I’ve got a few more conversations to have with colleagues, and I’ll make a decision like everybody else,” he said.
“I think you’ll find people are still mulling over their choice. We’ve got two good options, so either way we’re going to have a strong leader.”
South Australian Senator Alex Antic said “democracy” when asked who he would vote for.
Victorian Senator Jane Hume was also evasive, praising both contenders.
“I think we’re very lucky in the Liberal Party to have two fantastic contenders, Angus Taylor is probably one of the biggest economic brains in the parliament so he’s an extraordinarily talented individual, but the opportunity to vote for a first female leader of the Liberal Party is really exciting too. Sussan’s been around for a long time, she’s really experienced, so it’s going to be a good day.
NSW Senator Andrew Bragg said he would not be “telegraphing” his personal decision in the media.
“It’s very good to have an internal contest, I think that’s really good, it’s not about the party it’s about the country so looking forward to having an internal contest, which is always healthy,” he said.
Ms Ley is a mother of three and grandmother of six, who is based in the NSW city of Albury.
Before entering parliament she worked as an air traffic controller, aerial stock mustering pilot, shearer’s cook, a wool and beef farmer and public servant.
She went to university as a mum and as a mature aged student and completed a Bachelor of Economics from La Trobe University, a Masters in Tax from the University of New South Wales and a Masters in Accounting from Charles Sturt University.
She has been the Member for Farrer since 2001 and has served as a cabinet minister in the Abbott, Turnbull and Morrison Governments. She also has a number of properties in her real estate portfolio.
She was deputy leader of the party under Peter Dutton.
‘WE NEED CHANGE’: LEY’S PLANS FOR PARTY
Ms Ley, who had been backed be several past state Liberal leaders including NSW’s Gladys Berejiklian and Victoria’s Jeff Kennett, has previously said she wanted to “modernise” the party.
“We need to change, the Liberal Party must respect modern Australian, reflect modern Australia and represent modern Australia,” she said.
Both leadership contenders earlier conceded the Liberals need to work hard to recruit and promote women, a cohort who turned against the party en masse at last Saturday’s election.
Betting agencies favoured Ms Ley to win the ballot, with TAB listing her at $1.55 compared to $2.30 for Mr Taylor, and Sportsbet having her at $1.72 compared to $2.25 for her opponent.
Meanwhile on Monday, David Littleproud held onto his position as Nationals Party leader after an unsuccessful challenge from Queensland Senator Matt Canavan.
Kevin Hogan, who represents the regional NSW electorate of Page, was elected the party’s new deputy leader at the meeting, replacing Perin Davey who lost her NSW senate seat at the election.
Ms Davey has suggested the Nationals’ renegotiate its senate deal with the Liberals in NSW that had pushed her into the unwinnable position, but Mr Littleproud said he would not be broadcasting his plans before the Coalition talks happened.
Mr Littleproud said he had not spoken with Ms Price since she defected to the Liberals, but wished her well.
“Her ambition exceeds what the National Party can offer,” he said.
Originally published as Sussan Ley wins Liberal leadership, becomes first woman to lead LNP
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