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Member for Farrer, the Honourable Sussan Ley MP, has been named as the new Leader of the Liberal Party of Australia after Peter Dutton’s defeat in the May 2025 federal election.
Minister Ley claimed victory in her pursuit of becoming the Liberal’s new head, narrowly defeating shadow treasurer Angus Taylor MP, 29 votes to 25. Ley has become the first woman to lead the Liberals in the party’s history.
Additionally, member for Fairfax, Ted O’Brien MP, has defeated Phil Thompson in the ballot for deputy Liberal leader, 38 votes to 16.
Commenting on Ley’s election, Liberal MP, member for Fisher, and former speaker, Andrew Wallace, told mainstream media that the Liberal Party must “demonstrate that [it is] listening to the people of Australia and learning”.
“I’m very pleased to be a part of that, and it’s time to rebuild and get on with it,” Wallace said.
Minister Wallace denied suggestions that Ley was brought in as the Liberal Party’s Leader on the basis of sending a message to women.
He said: “Sussan was the acting leader. She was the deputy leader … Sussan is a woman with 24 years’ experience in this place, and I think nothing beats experience in this place. You know where all the bodies are buried, you know the tactics, which is very important in this place.”
Following the Coalition’s 2022 election defeat, which similarly saw former prime minister Scott Morrison lose the majority vote and his seat in Cook, Minister Ley replaced then-Treasurer Josh Frydenberg as deputy leader of the Liberal Party following his electoral defeat.
Property Council of Australia CEO, Mike Zorbas, congratulated Ley and O'Brien on their elections, stating that the organisation looks forward to working with the new Liberal leaders.
“Ms Ley has a long history of engaging thoughtfully with the property sector and has a good understanding of the policies that can promote the sustainable and prosperous growth of our cities.
“We also congratulate Ted O’Brien on his election as Deputy Leader, and we look forward to continuing to engage with the Opposition on important policy issues during this parliament.
“The property sector is the second largest employer in Australia, and ensuring a productive property industry is critically important to the prosperity of our nation," Zorbas said.
Also reacting to the decision, member for Casey, Aaron Violi MP, said the party must unify behind its new Leader.
“We have a big job to do, it’s not just on the leader, it’s on us as a party to unify, make sure we support her, put the right policies in place, and that comes about from listening,” Violi said.
This comes as Anthony Albanese has been sworn in as Prime Minister for a second consecutive term, a first-time occurrence since the Howard years.
According to federal election results, the ALP has secured 93 seats, while the LNP secured 42. Meanwhile, the Australian Greens Party has lost the majority of their seats (only managing to secure one seat), including Melbourne, which was held by former leader Adam Bandt.
The independent parties now hold a total of 11 seats.
[RELATED: Albanese re-elected - what's in the pipeline for housing?]
