Weight of the Past

Sussan Ley, the longtime member for Farrer in New South Wales, became the Leader of the Opposition and the first female leader of the federal Liberal Party in May 2025. After beating out major challenger Angus Taylor, she and the party faced the difficult task of rebuilding after the Coalition’s heaviest election defeat, including - as Benke and many other commentators insinuated - casting off historical policies that weren’t resonating with contemporary voters.