Sussan Ley has reflected on the Liberal Party’s stunning election defeat in her first National Press Club address as opposition leader.
Ley admitted the Coalition “didn’t just lose, we got smashed” in a frank assessment of her party’s federal election missteps and announced a review into the campaign is now under way.
“What we, as the Liberal Party, presented to the Australian people was comprehensively rejected,” Ley said.
“The scale of that defeat, its size and significance, is not lost on me, nor any one of my parliamentary team sitting here today.”
Ley steered clear of mentioning predecessor Peter Dutton by name, who also lost his seat of Dickson in a historic personal and party loss, but said it was up to her as the first female leader of the opposition to “do better”.
She also vowed to bring more women into the Coalition ahead of the next election.
“Let me send the clearest possible message: we need to do better, recruit better, retain better and support better,” Ley said.
“That’s why I will work with every division, as will my parliamentary team, to ensure we pre-select more women for the 2028 election.”
Ley said the next steps would involve a major long-term review of the party and vowed the Coalition would learn from its mistakes.
She said her mission is now to build a strong alternative to vote for at the next election.
Part of the wide-ranging Liberal Party review will include a “root-and-branch review” of the election result, Ley said.
“Never has a review been so important to the federal Liberal Party,” she said.
“[The] review will be frank and fearless, ensuring a thorough and honest assessment of what went wrong and how we can fix it.”
Ley said a policy refresh is high on the agenda.
She admitted the election result proved the Coalition’s policies weren’t strong enough and nor did they resonate with the Australian people.
“We need to be serious and credible. We do need to work on our policy, as I outlined today,” Ley added.
“That policy development wasn’t done well in the last term. Some people have been very open about it.”
Ley spoke at length about her passion for fighting against domestic violence, which she described as Australia’s “national shame”.
“They are mothers, daughters, friends. They had hopes and dreams. That they will never now realise,” she said.
“I want the women of Australia to hear me when I say to them, as a national leader, I understand the fear you feel when you go for a walk alone.
“Because I have felt that fear too.”
