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The first woman to lead the Australian Liberal Party, Sussan Ley, was ousted after just nine months in office, losing a leadership vote to her former shadow defense minister, Angus Taylor.
Ley was elevated to the role after the party suffered a resounding defeat in last year’s election, but since then has been plagued by poor poll results and infighting within the conservative Liberal-National coalition.
Taylor announced Wednesday he would challenge her for opposition leadership, ending months of speculation.
In a social media post, he said his election on Friday was “a huge honour” and he looked forward to working with new deputy leader Jane Hume.
Taylor, of the conservative faction of the party, won the secret ballot, by 34 votes to 17.
Shortly after the results were announced, Ley said she would resign as an MP and withdraw “completely and entirely from public life”.
She told waiting reporters that she had “no hard feelings” toward the new leader, although, apparently angry at the infighting she had endured, she added that it was important that he had “clean air, something that is not always afforded to leaders.”
Taylor, who barely lost 2025 leadership race to Leyis a former management consultant who first entered Parliament in 2013. He served as a minister under Malcolm Turnbull and Scott Morrison.
Ley’s position had never seemed secure. The Liberal-National Coalition, a partnership dating back to the 1940s, divided twice under his leadershipthe first time immediately after the May elections and the second time just a few weeks ago.
A series of recent polls also showed that the populist One Nation party – which received just 6% of the national vote last year – overtook the Coalition to take second place behind Labor. Ley’s personal grades were also poor.
The coalition has failed to agree on the causes of its crushing election defeat to Labor, which saw the Liberals virtually wiped out in major cities, with disagreements over energy and climate policy in particular.
Reflecting on his time at the helm, Ley said it had been “very difficult” at times, but added: “I was part of the early punk rock movements in Canberra, I will continue to find wisdom in one of punk’s defining themes, a fearless and honest confidence in oneself.” »
