Sussan Ley will become the first woman to lead the Liberal Party in its 81-year history after defeating Angus Taylor in this morning’s party room vote.
Ley, the moderate candidate who was deputy leader under Peter Dutton during the last parliamentary term, narrowly saw off conservative shadow treasurer Taylor 29 votes to 25.
Ted O’Brien, one of the most strident supporters of the Coalition’s nuclear plan in his former role as shadow energy spokesperson, has been elected Ley’s deputy.
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He defeated surprise candidate Phil Thompson 38 votes to 16.
Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, who had made a controversial defection from the Nationals to the Liberal Party late last week to stand for the deputy leadership under Taylor, didn’t officially nominate for the deputy position after Taylor had been defeated.
Price later said Taylor’s defeat was the reason she didn’t contest the position.
She congratulated Ley on her election and said she would work with her and O’Brien, but also admitted the decision wasn’t what she wanted.
“While I am disappointed Angus Taylor was not elected leader, I respect the decision made by my colleagues within the party room today,” Price said.
Ley had received the backing of several former Liberal premiers, including Jeff Kennett and Barry O’Farrell, as the party faced calls to reconnect with female voters, who have been deserting it in recent elections.
Exiting the party room, finance spokesperson Jane Hume said Ley’s election marked “a new era”, while outgoing senator Linda Reynolds also lauded the outcome.
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“Delighted with the result,” she said.
“Australia spoke very clearly to the Liberal Party. We’ve listened and we’ve acted.”
Ley will become not just the first woman to lead the Liberals, but also the first to be federal opposition leader – from either party – in Australian history.
She had pitched herself as a reforming candidate who would offer a change in approach for the party following its disastrous election defeat.
“Many Australians, including women and younger Australians, feel neglected by the Liberal Party,” she said last week.
“We must rebuild trust with all sections of Australian society and my election as leader of the Liberal Party would send a very strong signal that we understand things need to be done differently.”
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In addition to determining the direction of the Liberal Party, including whether to continue with its nuclear proposal, what economic policy platform to take to the election, and how to re-capture the suburban and inner-city seats where most of Australia’s population lives, Ley will face discussions about the Coalition’s future.
David Littleproud didn’t commit to renewing the agreement between the two parties yesterday after he saw off a challenge from Senator Matt Canavan to retain the Nationals leadership.
“We’re going to review all our policies and we’ll do that in a calm, methodical way,” he said.
Ley and O’Brien are expected to address the media later today.
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