Sussan Ley a ‘unique opportunity’ for Liberal Party, VP says

Sussan Ley is a “really unique opportunity” for the Liberal Party to embody the “Australian dream” and “rebuild around that” after the crushing defeat at the federal election, one of the party’s most senior women says.

Liberals on Tuesday elected Ms Ley to succeed Peter Dutton as leader after he was dramatically unseated on May 3.

Making history as the first woman to lead the party, Ms Ley’s election came after a week-and-a-half of “soul-searching” and a bruising contest between herself and Angus Taylor.

Federal vice-president Fiona Scott said on Wednesday she expected the Liberal Party would “rally behind” their new leader and deputy, Ted O’Brien.

“What I think we will see is the Liberal Party will rally behind Sussan and Ted (O’Brien),” she told the ABC.

“It doesn’t mean that great talents in our party like Angus (Taylor) won’t still provide superb input – same as Jacinta (Nampijinpa Price) – and it’s good to have that diversity of perspective and view.

“But right now, I think the party room did make the right decision yesterday, and it’s really important on us that we’ve been given the opportunity, maybe taking kicking and screaming to have to rebuild the party and take it back to basics and move forward from there.

“And I think Sussan is a step forward to say that we have listened.”

Reflecting on the election loss, Ms Scott said there were “a range of challenges” but echoed the sentiments of many Liberal MPs that the “Australian public didn’t see themselves in us in this election”.

Ms Ley, a moderate, beat Mr Taylor with 29 votes to 25.

At a post-vote press conference, she pledged to lead a “Liberal Party that respects modern Australia, that reflects modern Australia, and that represents modern Australia”.

“I want to do things differently, and we have to have a fresh approach,” the Opposition Leader told reporters.

“I want to harness the talents of every single person in our party room going forward to develop the clear, articulate policy agenda that does meet Australians where they are.”

She said that included Mr Taylor and Senator Price, who was gunning to be Mr Taylor’s deputy after her shock defection to the Liberal party room last week.

Coalition ‘not gonna rush’ on nuclear policy

How Ms Ley’s “fresh approach” vow translates into policies has remained unclear.

She has not yet confirmed her shadow cabinet, and with tensions between the Liberal and National parties at a high, it could take some time for her to do so.

But once done, the Coalition will set about deciding which election policies to keep and which to discard.

Mr O’Brien championed the controversial nuclear policy as opposition climate change and energy spokesman.

He refused to say on Wednesday if the election results gave a verdict on taking the country’s power grid nuclear but accused Labor of trying to “weaponise” it.

“But that policy, like all of our policies, we’re not gonna rush to confirm whether it’s in or out moving forward,” Mr O’Brien told Sky News.

“The most important thing right now is that we listen to the Australian people.

“They did send us a message, and the starting point is to recognise the message was they were disappointed in what we were offering.”

Pressed on whether the message was that voters did not want nuclear power, he repeated that Australians “sent the party a message that they didn’t like what we were offering them at this election”.