Sussan Ley with her family on Mother’s Day 2025. Photo: Sussan Ley Instagram.
Sussan Ley has been elected leader of the Liberal Party in a close ballot against shadow treasurer Angus Taylor, which she won 29 votes to 25.
She is the first woman to lead the federal Liberal Party and will be the first ever female Opposition Leader in the Federal Parliament.
Previously the deputy Liberal leader, Ms Ley fills the vacancy left by former leader Peter Dutton, who lost his seat of Dickson at the 3 May election.
Shadow energy minister Ted O’Brien was elected the new deputy leader, a vote he won convincingly against fellow Queenslander Phillip Thompson 38 to 16.
Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price did not contest the deputy leadership even though she had previously said she would when defecting from the Nationals to the Liberals in the week after the federal election.
She pulled out after Mr Taylor’s bid for the leadership failed.
Mr Thompson’s decision to put his hand up for deputy was a spur-of-the-moment move.
As Liberal Party MPs and senators gathered at Parliament House in Canberra on Tuesday (13 May) to elect their new leadership, one of their own sent the party an open letter about the way forward.
Queensland Liberal Senator James McGrath fired off a colourful two-page letter, which he also distributed to the media, urging the party to avoid embarking on a blame game over its recent drubbing at the polls and do everything to get back on track.
“When we fail, we don’t just let ourselves down, we let down Australians. So, I’m going to make a few suggestions,” he wrote.
“Everyone needs to accept we are all in this together, and we need to work as a team to rebuild an election-winning party. Stop playing games. We are a political party, not the toy section of Big W.
“Let’s not fall into a trap of squabbling about being too moderate or too conservative. Or that the logo needs a refresh. The issue is far more serious. Australians are not listening to us.
“There should be an election review that looks into the 2025 campaign as well as patterns and trends from other elections, so long as it focuses on how to fix mistakes and doesn’t degenerate into a circular firing squad. Blame games will only help the left.
“Saturday [3 May] was our second consecutive catastrophic election loss. So that there is not a third election loss we need to have a serious considered look at how the Liberal Party does politics.
“The Liberal Party needs to establish a commission into the future of the Liberal Party. The commission should examine anything and everything. It should be open to all members and supporters and travel the country.
“It is not about shifting left or right, it is about adapting our brilliant beliefs to modern Australia.”
After detailing his advice for the way forward, Senator McGrath also shared an extra morsel of wisdom.
“In the black hole of opposition we do not have much but we do have time, and we should use the coming years to work on the rebuild,” he said.
“Before things get worse, they can always get worse.”
After the party room ballot, Liberal members expressed their satisfaction with the outcome as they left the room and passed the waiting media contingent.
Outgoing Senator Linda Reynolds, flanked by other female party members, said she was very happy with the choice of new leader.
“Delighted with the result. Australia spoke very clearly to the Liberal Party,” she said.
“We’ve listened and we’ve acted. And we’re united.”
The Liberal Party leadership ballot followed the previous day’s election of the National Party’s leader and deputy.
On Monday, David Littleproud was reelected Nationals leader after seeing off a challenge from Queensland Senator Matt Canavan.
New South Wales MP Kevin Hogan was elected deputy leader, with Bridget McKenzie chosen as the party’s leader in the Senate.
The Nationals do not reveal the numbers of their secret partyroom ballots.
