After less than a year in the top job, Sussan Ley lost the leadership spill to Angus Taylor, 34 votes to 17. She has since announced that she is handing in her resignation.
“When I came to the leadership of the Liberal Party nine months ago, my mother had just died. One of the things she said was, ‘When something ends in sadness, don’t dwell on the disappointment. Be grateful that you had it at all’,” Sussan Ley said in a speech outside parliament.
“I’m not sure what comes next for me. I look forward to stepping away completely and comprehensively from public life, to spend time with my family, to reconnect with my enduring passion, aviation, which taught me if I had an ego, I’d be dead. It’s been quite useful in politics.”
What happens now?
The new Liberal Leader will be Angus Talor and Jane Hume is to be the new Deputy Leader.
“It’s an immense honour to be elected as leader of the Liberal Party,” Angus Taylor wrote in a post.
Political commentator Antony Green has written that Sussan’s resignation sets up a “messy by-election” for the Coalition in the seat of Farrer, a seat she’s held since 2001.
“With the seat vacant, it is certain that the Nationals will run against the new Liberal candidate,” he wrote in a blog post.
How we got here
Sussan Ley became the first woman to lead the Liberal Party and serve as Leader of the Opposition after the party’s defeat at the 2025 election, winning a party room ballot in May 2025.
Over the past months, her leadership was undermined by poor polling for the party, internal dissent, and public perception that the Liberals were struggling under her direction, with declining support and some colleagues openly critical of her performance.
The Liberal and National parties started the year in a will-they-won’t-they standoff. The coalition did dissolve.
“Our Coalition has become untenable,” said Nationals Leader David Littleproud. The split was instigated by the Nationals voting against hate laws supported by the Liberals.
“This process wasn’t all Sussan Ley’s fault … but it has been mismanaged by Sussan Ley.”
However, a mere 17 days later, they got back together again. However, there was still a lack of confidence from major players in the party for Sussan Ley.
The first Joint Party Room Meeting took place on Tuesday, 10 February 2026, and now three days later, Sussan is out, and Angus Taylor is in the top job.
Sussan Ley’s full resignation speech
“When I came to the leadership of the Liberal Party nine months ago, my mother had just died. One of the things she said was, ‘When something ends in sadness, don’t dwell on the disappointment. Be grateful that you had it at all’.
“So today, I want to express gratitude to the Liberal Party that I have belonged to and loved for more than half of my adult life, to the party room that elected me as their leader nine months ago, and to the Parliament of Australia that has been the most extraordinary workplace for 25 years.
“The leadership of our party is a gift of the party room, and I respect the decision that they have made.
“For those who supported me today, I thank you. I thank you. Your loyalty, your unflinching loyalty, I will always appreciate.
“For those who did not, I genuinely have no hard feelings. I wish Angus Taylor well. I know he has experience, energy and drive. I know the whole team will have what it takes to fight this awful Labor government. I will be cheering them on.
“I thank the many colleagues that I have worked with, not just over the last few months, but over many years. You continue to have my respect and admiration for all that you do.
“I thank my deputy, Ted O’Brien, for the incredible way that he has conducted himself.
“I thank our grassroots party members who get up every day and work hard for the values that we all believe in so deeply.
“I have been supported by incredible staff in every team that I have led. Quite simply, I could not have done it without you.
“When a farmer from Rand in New South Wales, Angus Macneil, first approached me to be the candidate for Farrer in 2001 and said he thought I had what it takes, I never expected to be successful. I won the seat by 206 votes, and I have been re-elected nine times.
“I love the western plains of New South Wales, the Murray and Murrumbidgee rivers, and the rural communities that it has been my enormous privilege to represent.
“When I came here in 2001, my children were 8, 10 and 12. They’re now in their 30s, with children of their own. They are my greatest gift. And the six little Australians, my grandchildren, remind me that everything we do in this place should always be about the next generation.
“I leave it for others to judge this period of my leadership, now and with the passing of time. While I’m sure plenty of people will have plenty to say, I’ve never sought to influence what other people think of me.
“I am proud of the role I played in establishing a Royal Commission into anti-Semitism. I am proud that we landed an energy policy in November last year. And I’m also proud that, after a difficult period, the Coalition reformed stronger than before.
“There is no doubt that it has been a challenging time to lead the party after we suffered the worst defeat in 81 years; it has been tough. At times, very tough, but every sleepless night, every intractable problem, indeed every personal challenge, has always been put in perspective by my understanding of the burdens that so many ordinary Australians face quietly and without fuss every day. Those Australians remain my inspiration.
“It is important that the new leader gets clear air, something that is not always afforded to leaders, but which in the present moment is more important than ever.
“I will be spending the next couple of weeks thanking the amazing people of Farrer and expressing my gratitude to them for the honour of representing them for 25 years. Shortly thereafter, I will be tendering my resignation to the Speaker.
“I’m not sure what comes next for me. I look forward to stepping away completely and comprehensively from public life, to spend time with my family, to reconnect with my enduring passion, aviation, which taught me if I had an ego, I’d be dead. It’s been quite useful in politics.
“And finally, as some of you know, I was part of the early punk rock movement in Canberra. I will continue to find wisdom in one of punk’s defining themes, a fearless and honest belief in yourself.
“Thank you.”
