Australia

Australia: Sussan Ley Becomes First Female Liberal Party Leader

MAY 13 2025·Updated MAY 18 2025

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Above: Leader of the Opposition Sussan Ley speaks at a press conference at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, on May 13, 2025. Image credit: Hilary Wardhaugh/Stringer/Getty Images News via Getty Images

The Facts

Sussan Ley has been elected the first woman to lead the Liberal Party of Australia in its 80-year history, winning a close party room vote of 29-25 against Shadow Treasurer Angus Taylor to replace former party leader Peter Dutton.
Daily Mail
ABC
Ley, 63, represents the New South Wales seat of Farrer and has held several cabinet positions under the Abbott, Turnbull, and Morrison governments. Most recently she served as deputy leader to Dutton before the Liberals’ 2025 election defeat.
News.com.au
Guardian
Ley’s political career, however, has not been without controversy. In 2017, the then Health Minister was forced to resign following an expenses scandal after it emerged that she had used a taxpayer-funded flight to purchase a Gold Coast property.
SBS News
BBC News
Alongside Ley, Shadow Energy Minister Ted O'Brien was elected deputy leader with a 38-16 victory over Phil Thompson. Sen. Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, who defected from the Nationals to support Taylor's bid, did not contest the deputy leadership after Taylor's defeat.
Daily Mail
ABC
Ley pledged that the Liberal Party would henceforth “respect, reflect and represent the views and needs of modern Australia,” while promising to avoid making “captain's calls” in favor of collective decision-making on “every single policy issue.”
The Hon. Sussan Ley MP
Sussan Ley
In response to the Liberals’ leadership election, Treasurer Jim Chalmers told Sky News Australia it was the “battle of the duds,” calling Ley and O’Brien “the worst performers in the opposition” and claiming it showed that the Liberals “haven't learned a thing” from the election.
Sky News
Youtube

Sources Split

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The Spin

Liberal/National Coalition narrative

Sussan Ley’s election as the leader signals a new beginning for the Liberal Party of Australia. After a disappointing election defeat, Ley is right that the party needs to reflect Australia’s modern values, views, and needs, and that collective decision-making is the best way to do so. While returning to government will be difficult, Ley’s political experience and collaborative approach will ensure that the Liberal Party has the best shot of getting Australia back on track.

Sussan Ley

SBS News

Australian Labor Party narrative

The recent Liberal leadership election was the battle of the duds. Ley and O’Brien were two of the opposition’s worst performers in the last three years, with only Peter Dutton proving worse, pushing policies that nobody wants and serve no one's interests. The party room vote shows that the Liberals have learned nothing from their election drumming and will remain the party for low wages, unaffordable nuclear theatrics, and higher taxes.

Sky News

Youtube