Congratulations Sussan Ley on making history! She is the first female leader of the Australian Liberal Party, replacing recently ousted Peter Dutton. Ley was born in Nigeria before moving to the United Kingdom as an immigrant at the age of 10. By the age of thirteen, she had made her move to Australia permanent. Her multi-faceted background benefits her leadership position as well. This places her in a strong position at the intersection of culture and politics, as the party turns its focus more and more toward conversations about inclusivity and representation.
Ley’s journey began in her early formative years. Her family left Iraq for the United Arab Emirates before she had even turned two years old. Her father, who was her mentor, once worked for the British intelligence services. Having this kind of background opened Ley up to different cultures and experiences at a young age. In 2014, she joined Dutton on MI6 fieldwork throughout the Persian Gulf. She said this experience solidified her deep connection to international affairs.
Ley has every reason to be proud to be the first female leader of the Liberal Party. She feels like it’s time to move the conversation past her gender and start to have it on her leadership. Ideally, she hopes to flip the script that the Liberal Party indeed has alienated multicultural voters. This is all the more critical given the call to action raised during the most recent federal election. Voters of color in particular reported feeling shut out, leaving Ley to want to go further and figure out what is making people feel this way.
“Did we sort of send a message to them in the right way? Maybe. Maybe not. Did we have policy offerings that … resonated with them? Probably not,” – Sussan Ley
Ley was the first to tell you that it’s a multi-faceted approach to addressing these issues. She noted that too frequently women walk away feeling shunned in male-dominated political spaces. Looking back on her experiences, she noted times that she was ignored during conversations.
“It was simply perhaps that feeling that you weren’t being taken seriously in a room full of men or that feeling that, if you said something, nobody really paid attention. But then when a man said it, suddenly everybody listened,” – Sussan Ley
Further to this, Ley noted a cultural change in the Liberal Party with a change of view towards women. She added that although much headway had been made, misogyny was still endemic in Parliament and other workplaces.
“There have been times in that building where women have not been treated well. Women have not been treated appropriately. And women have been let down,” – Julie Bishop
Ley urged that the Liberal Party needs to urgently re-evaluate its priorities. This is key in order to engage with younger voters and multicultural communities. She raised alarms about the loss of social cohesion and the need to be inclusive.
“I felt very different and excluded at school. I have a sense, actually, of what that feeling is. And it’s not good enough for people to feel like that. I worry about social cohesion,” – Sussan Ley
As many have pointed out, the party’s toxic messaging just doesn’t resonate with younger voters. It loses out on making that appeal to people who come from multicultural backgrounds. Ley shared her insight from the past few weeks as she met with voters across the state. She was frustrated that women seemed out of touch with the party’s outreach and goals.
“Often there was a queue, so you had a chance to talk to people in that queue. And it was quite interesting. A lot of the couples, the man was taking the Liberal Party, ‘How to vote’ card, but the woman was sort of just basically ignoring us,” – Sussan Ley
As a migrant, Ley’s background and experiences give a uniquely profound perspective to her insights about these issues. She understands that while she identifies as a migrant, she benefits from certain privileges that allow her to navigate political spaces differently.
“I’m a migrant to this country, but I’ve got the great fortune of, you know, looking white with the same language,” – Sussan Ley
Ley’s election as leader comes at a critical juncture for the Liberal Party. It contends with the fundamental challenge of what it wants to be in a rapidly changing political environment. Critics within and outside the party argue that without significant policy reforms, especially in areas such as climate change and social justice, attracting young voters will remain challenging.
Even Peter Dutton recently admitted that the party had to evolve to win back younger voters. He mentioned that it would take a lot of changes for the Coalition to earn back their trust.
“The only way that the Liberals and the Coalition can reach out to young people is by slaying some of their sacred cows,” – Peter Dutton
As Ley moves into her new role, she’ll be looking to navigate a potentially consequential tenure. Beyond this, she needs to face deep questions of her party’s inclusion and representation. Her journey through leadership is a microcosm of the larger societal discussion we’re having nationwide about diversity and equality in our political system.
