Sussan Ley, who narrowly secured the leadership of the Liberal Party over Angus Taylor in May, now finds her position increasingly precarious. Ley was sworn in as the first woman to chair the federal party room. She told her colleagues that she would take a different tack. Both internal dissent and growing external pressures are publicly challenging her leadership style effectiveness as well as her long-term prospect within the party.
Ley’s transformational leadership story began with high hopes. After this week’s chaos, questions surrounding her ability to bring the fractious party together seem larger than ever before. Her criticism of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for wearing a Joy Division T-shirt missed the mark. Her campaign to recall Kevin Rudd as Australia’s Ambassador to the U.S. has led her to lose the backing of every wing of the party. Ley has consistently campaigned on her wish to be able to respond at pace to national crises. She has doggedly pursued the early return of parliament since the Bondi terror attack.
Commitment to Change
Upon taking charge, Ley made a public pledge to heed her staff’s advice deeply and sincerely and make substantive changes. She then set energy and climate change spokesman Dan Tehan to work creating a policy framework to achieve net-zero emissions. Ley’s willingness to move quickly and make bold action moves quickly received support from the party rank-and-file after the Coalition’s fracturing. All of her decisions appeared immediately in sync with the party’s priorities.
Yet despite collaboration as a point of principle, Ley’s willingness to collaborate is already being challenged by some members of her party. “She’s moved away from who she was going to be,” remarked one moderate Liberal, expressing concerns regarding her evolving approach. This change has brought a wave of anger from right-winger Liberals. They think she’s not really tried enough to get the Coalition agreement revived.
To this day, Ley’s leadership has come under criticism for her personal unpopularity. In recent weeks, her preferred prime minister ranking has plummeted to subterranean lows, raising alarms about her viability as a leader.
Internal Party Dynamics
The party
The dynamics within Ley’s Liberal Party have gotten more fractious during her interim leadership. Ley accepted the resignations of three Nationals senators, who crossed the floor in support of hate laws. In fact, she was buoyed by strong public support from former prime minister John Howard throughout this period. This episode underscored the tightrope she must walk to keep the party together with such large ideological gulfs.
That removal is seen as a matter of “when,” not “if,” by many in the party, including Ley’s own staff. This change comes even as she originally supported. Detractors argue that she has not effectively navigated the complexities of coalition politics or addressed the concerns of conservative members. “Albo may think he is a genius at putting opponents in cul-de-sacs, but Sussan has made driving into them an art form,” stated one conservative Liberal in a pointed critique of her political strategies.
Ley’s uncompromising leadership style has bred anger among more right-wing elements of the party room. They feel she’s not listening, feeling overlooked because she hasn’t really done the work of diving into their viewpoint. With these tensions sure to only continue to grow, how will Ley knit together these differences—and keep her coalition intact atop the leadership dais.
The Road Ahead
Opposition Liberal leader Sussan Ley is approaching the one-year mark in her leadership. This moment is particularly delicate for her political future. The hard issues she has dealt with highlight her incredible leadership ability. They expose the hypocrisy, misplaced priorities, secrecy and ultimately the far deeper divisions within the party.
Ley must navigate these turbulent waters carefully if she hopes to retain her position and fulfill her original vision for change within the party. She has an uncommon talent for bringing together the warring factions of ConnDOT. Her ability to respond effectively to these internal and external pressures will be key in determining her legacy.
