Deposed Liberal leader Sussan Ley says she has no hard feelings against colleagues who voted to replace her with conservative leader Angus Taylor.
The long-serving MP announced she’s quitting parliament and leaving public life.
“I will be spending the next couple of weeks thanking the amazing people of Farah and expressing my gratitude to them for the honor 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.” Ley told reporters.
Speaking at Parliament house after the vote that saw her ousted as leader, Ley said she was proud of her time as leader highlighting the coalition’s energy policy and the establishment of a Royal Commission into antisemitism.
“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.
“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.” Ley said.
Her resignation will trigger a by-election in her rural seat of Farrer, setting an early challenge for new leader Angus Taylor. It is expected to be a crowded field for the seat which was previously held by Nationals leader Tim Fischer.
Ley joined the parliament in 2001. She was a junior minister in the Howard government, serving as parliamentary secretary for Children and Youth Affairs and later Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.
In opposition under a succession of leaders she held the shadow portfolios of Housing, Women, Justice and Customs, Assistant Treasury, Employment Participation, and Childcare.
In the Abbott government she was Assistant Minister for Education and later promoted to Minister for Health and Sport, and later Aged Care.
She resigned from the ministry in 2017 after it was revealed she had taken many taxpayer funded trips to Queensland, where he partner was based. Also, on one trip she bought a $795,000 apartment. Ley denied allegations of improper use of taxpayer funds claiming the trips were all required for government business, and the apartment was bought on a whim.
She was promoted under PM Scott Morrison serving as Assistant Minister for Regional Development the Territories, and after the 2019 election win returned to the front bench as Minister for the Environment. In opposition she has served as deputy leader.
Ley was born in Nigeria and grew up in the United Arab Emirates and England before emigrating to Australia as a teenager. Prior to entering politics, she worked as a commercial pilot, farmer and civil servant.
Ley added an additional S to her name in her youth because she followed the belief of numerology, and the additional letter made her name more powerful.
