Sussan Ley’s election as the new Liberal leader is a victory for the centrist wing of the party, creating history as the first woman to hold that office as the Coalition repositions itself following a heavy electoral defeat.
Ley’s win was hardly resounding, taking the party room vote 29-25 against Shadow Treasurer Angus Taylor to replace Peter Dutton.
Shadow Energy Minister Ted O’Brien was elected as deputy leader, with Jacinta Nampijinpa Price – who was aligned with Mr Taylor – dropping out of the contest shortly before the poll.
Ley, 63, is one of the Liberal Party’s most-experienced hands, having served as a Cabinet minister under the Coalition’s past three prime ministers – Tony Abbott, Malcolm Turnbull and Scott Morrison.
A former commercial pilot, farmer and public servant, she has held the rural seat of Farrer in NSW’s south-west since the retirement of her long-serving predecessor and former National Party leader and deputy prime minister Tim Fischer.
Ley famously changed the spelling of her first name from ‘Susan’ to ‘Sussan’ in her 20s after exploring numerology. She believed that adding an extra ‘s’ would make her life ‘incredibly exciting’ and ensure ‘nothing would ever be boring’.
Ley is a mother of three and had the support of the party’s moderates, with some believing a woman at the helm will help repair the party’s negative image among female voters.
Her ascension also represents a swing back toward the political centre after some commentators said the party had tacked too hard to the right under Mr Dutton.
Mr Taylor was the favoured candidate of the right but had also been criticised for failing to present a detailed economic policy during the election campaign.
Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price had defected from the Nationals last week and seemed set to go straight into the party’s No.2 position, but failed in that ambition.
Her defection from the National Party to run as deputy angered former colleagues and some moderate Liberals who disagreed her brash style of politics would be a vote winner in the inner cities.
Senator Nampijinpa Price was accused of stoking culture wars, which was highlighted by evoking US President Donald Trump’s rhetoric during the campaign when she said she wanted to ‘make great again’.
Some had speculated that Tuesday’s winner would be something of a sacrificial lamb, with the unenviable task of trying to hold to account a dominant government with less than a third of House seats.
However n National University politics lecturer Jill Sheppard said the lack of deep talent on the Opposition benches meant Ms Ley may well lead the party to the next election, however hard the task may now seem.
‘It does feel like a bit of a poisoned chalice,’ Dr Sheppard told AAP.
‘The most important day-one job is to keep the party united, and that’s not going to be easy when there’s a lot of recriminations to be had.’
Moderates have urged the Liberals to abandon culture wars and return to the political centre-ground but Dr Sheppard warned that might not solve the party’s problems.
Coming up with policies that stuck closer to the centre could make it harder for the Liberals to differentiate themselves from Labor, she said, when people may well be looking for a genuine alternative at the next election.
Some of the Coalition’s lost votes likely bled to hard-right parties such as One Nation, which could spark internal debates about the importance of ‘culture wars’ to some constituents.
However, it is unclear whether the next leader will be able to change the Liberal Party’s ideological direction.
Leaders were constrained by the party room’s extremes and were forced to find balance in the middle, Dr Sheppard said.
‘To an extent, it doesn’t matter who is leader – the parties are pretty strong and they will constrain their leader,’ she said.
The Nationals re-elected David Littleproud as their leader on Monday following a challenge from conservative senator Matt Canavan.
Daily Mail politcal editor Peter Van Onselen’s take on Sussan Ley
One of Ley’s clear strengths is that as a woman her elevation will help stave off criticisms that there aren’t enough women in parliament on the conservative side of the chamber. Ley has previously expressed support for gender quotas, but that won’t help her campaign to be leader. It might, however, help her win back the votes of women who have deserted the party in droves.
Ley’s biggest weakness is the perception that she’s not up to the job of being leader. Whether that sentiment is unfounded or founded, it’s there, among colleagues and the parliamentary press gallery. It increases the degree of difficulty of being taken seriously, but it could also lead to her opponents underestimating her.
Another criticism she’s received over the years is that she is a bit loose with her rhetoric. Prone to shooting her mouth off and needing to walk back her commentary. As leader she’ll need to be more disciplined than that, and have a good team around her.