Angus Taylor has vowed to “fight for our nation” as Opposition Leader after toppling Sussan Ley in the Liberal Party’s leadership spill. Source: Canberra Times.
Outlining a new focus on populist concerns about immigration, living standards and the cost of living, Mr Taylor said the concerns of voters who were switching their allegiances to One Nation must be acknowledged.
“We are not seeking to be One Nation lite,” he told reporters in Canberra on Friday.
“But people who are thinking about voting One Nation have reasons for wanting to do so, and we have to restore their confidence in us.”
He vowed to “stay true to our values … focusing on the politics of conviction, not just convenience”.
Deputy leader Jane Hume said the Liberal Party was not moving to the left or the right.
“We’re going to take the Liberal Party forward,” she said.
Senator Hume conceded that the Coalition had been wrong to announce a policy during the 2025 election campaign – which it scrapped after a public outcry – to force public servants back to the office full-time, which she had been tasked with selling.
“It was pretty clear during the election campaign that that policy was a mistake,” she said.
Asked about claims from Ms Ley’s supporters that she had been undermined by internal forces, Mr Taylor said: “I sought to support Sussan throughout her leadership.
“She is a great person and a great Liberal … The decision has been made by the party room to reset … We must look ahead and put the disagreements of the recent past behind us.”
Mr Taylor said a new approach was needed.
“I won’t mince words, the Liberal Party is in the worst position that it has been since it was founded in 1944,” he said.
“I don’t shy away from this, and I know that many of our supporters are angry. They wanted to see change at the last election, and they didn’t see the change that they wanted.
“I’m particularly conscious that we got some big calls wrong, especially on personal income tax, and it won’t happen again,” Mr Taylor said, referring to the Coalition’s decision not to match Labor’s election policy.
FULL STORY
Opposition Leader Angus Taylor outlines his focus after winning Liberal Party leadership spill
(By Dana Daniel, Canberra Times)
