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Liberal Party elects new leader after internal vote
Australia's opposition Liberal Party has chosen Angus Taylor as its new leader, ousting Sussan Ley after just nine months in the role. The leadership change follows months of poor polling and internal divisions within the conservative coalition.
Leadership ballot results
Taylor, a former shadow defence minister, secured 34 votes in a secret ballot on Friday, defeating Ley, who received 17 votes. The contest had been anticipated for weeks after Taylor announced his challenge on Wednesday.
In a social media statement, Taylor called his election "an immense honour" and pledged to work with his newly appointed deputy, Jane Hume.
Ley's departure from politics
Shortly after the results were announced, Ley confirmed she would resign from parliament and withdraw entirely from public life. Addressing reporters, she said she held "no hard feelings" toward Taylor but suggested he deserved "clear air," a reference to the infighting that marred her tenure.
Ley, who became the Liberal Party's first female leader after last year's election defeat, reflected on her brief time in the role, describing it as "very tough." She quoted punk rock's ethos of self-belief, saying she would continue to draw wisdom from its themes.
Taylor's political background
Taylor, a member of the party's conservative faction, first entered parliament in 2013 and served as a minister under former prime ministers Malcolm Turnbull and Scott Morrison. He narrowly lost the 2025 leadership contest to Ley and has since been a vocal critic of her leadership.
A former management consultant, Taylor inherits a party struggling to regain momentum after its heavy election loss to the Labor Party last year.
Coalition's struggles and divisions
Ley's leadership was undermined by persistent internal conflicts, including two splits within the Liberal-National Coalition-a partnership dating back to the 1940s. The first occurred immediately after the May election, and the second just weeks before her ousting.
Recent polls have shown the populist One Nation Party, which secured only 6% of the national vote last year, overtaking the Coalition to become the second-largest party behind Labor. Ley's personal approval ratings also remained low throughout her tenure.
The Coalition has yet to reach a consensus on the causes of its election defeat, particularly its near wipeout in major cities. Disagreements over energy and climate policy have been a recurring source of tension.
