Top Lib woman's brutal seven-word warning to new leader Sussan Ley
Pressure is mounting on federal Liberal Party leader Sussan Ley, who risks falling victim to an unwanted phenomenon amid turmoil in the party's ranks.
The first woman leader of the federal Liberal party could be doomed to fail as she tries to rescue the party from one of its lowest points in the wake of the election.
After a close contest against ex-shadow treasurer Angus Taylor, former deputy leader Sussan Ley on Tuesday won the top job and a place in the history books.
On Wednesday, the Liberal Party's federal vice president Fiona Scott was asked on national television how long Ms Ley would last as leader.
'I don't know, I mean a day's a long time in politics. Well, you know - it could be a day, it won't be a day. I mean, cheeky, but look you don't know what the political tides will bring,' she told Nine News.
Just hours later, Ms Scott said her comments had been 'mischaracterised' and that her attempts at a joke had been misconstrued as criticism.
'That was just a bit of a joke at the time, but no, I did go on to clarify that I absolutely support Sussan. I think it's a wonderful step forward. I've had a friendship with Sussan since 2010. She was one of the first ministers I met,' she told Sky News.
'I actually think that Sussan as leader, supported by Ted, is a fantastic step forward for the Liberal Party and it gives us the opportunity to grow.'
Asked about Ms Scott's response, Foreign Minister Penny Wong told Nine 'ouch... that's not the most ringing endorsement I've heard but... I'm going to leave it to the Liberal party to sort this out.'
Ms Ley's victory follows a brutal May 3 vote loss that decimated the coalition's ranks, and some warn Ms Ley could be the next victim of a 'glass cliff'.
Coined by Australian National University gender equality expert Michelle Ryan and her research partner Alex Haslan in 2005, the term refers to a phenomenon where women, and those from minority groups, are more likely to be appointed to top positions during times of crisis, meaning they can be set up to fail.
With more than two decades of parliamentary experience under her belt, Ms Ley was 'incredibly qualified' for the job, Professor Ryan said.
'But the timing definitely suggests that it's somewhat of a glass cliff,' she told AAP.
'The fact that they've come out of an unprecedented loss at an election, and this is the first time a woman is leading - I don't think those two things are unconnected.
'It's also interesting that people that might have put themselves forward in a better time are not putting themselves forward now.'
The pool of Liberal leadership candidates was relatively small to begin with given the scale of the election defeat, but potential leaders such as Dan Tehan and Andrew Hastie were quick to rule themselves out of contention.
'The Liberal Party is under great scrutiny - there's a lot of agitation,' Prof Ryan said.
'Whoever was going to take on this leadership position was unlikely to be prime minister.'
Asked about the glass cliff trend, Ms Ley did not accept it and said her appointment and agenda was about connecting and listening to women.
Prof Ryan also acknowledged this, noting Ms Ley's election was not just a leadership issue, but part of the party's efforts address its bleeding female support.
'The glass cliff makes it harder to succeed, but that doesn't mean success is not possible,' she said.
Nationals senator Matt Canavan - who made a failed bid to topple his party leader David Littleproud to underscore his demand to drop the coalition's 2050 net zero emissions target - said Ms Ley will have to 'perform'.
'The pressure will be on,' he told Nine's Today.
Ms Ley said on Tuesday that net zero would be 'under review' alongside all of the previous coalition policies, adding 'there won't be a climate war' within the party.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
32 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Grim warning that Australia is being 'hijacked' by union bosses - as a national strike now looms that will bring the country to a grinding halt
Australians are being warned unions will use crippling national strikes next year to hijack supply chains which could stoke inflation under Labor's new workplace laws. Anthony Albanese 's Secure Jobs Better Pay Act, introduced in 2022 during Labor's first term, has revived multi-employer bargaining, handing power back to unions. It allows wage rises in one workplace to be replicated across an industry without the need for separate enterprise negotiations. But unions are already warning of potential coordinated strike action at 200 firms including airlines, supermarkets and haulage companies to leverage big pay deals. Analysts fear it could result in inflation-busting wage rises, which could result in soaring costs for consumers if productivity fails to keep pace with the increases. Treasurer Jim Chalmers is now planning to host a Productivity Summit at Parliament House in Canberra later this year in a bid to avoid an economic output crisis. But new Opposition workplace relations spokesman Tim Wilson has warned union chiefs will use multi-employer bargaining to bring industrial chaos to Australia. 'The Transport Workers Union will use multi-employer bargaining to hijack supply chains, squeeze businesses and pass on higher costs to customers,' he told Daily Mail Australia. 'So long as Albanese's multi-employer bargaining remains in place, Australian customers will continue to pay more so unions can leverage their power.' Wilson last month narrowly won back the Melbourne bayside electorate of Goldstein from former Teal MP Zoe Daniel and was parachuted back onto the Opposition frontbench by Coalition leader, Sussan Ley. But he warned Labor's landslide re-election will now embolden unions to cripple Australia economically for the next three years. 'The only solution to stop unions pushing up costs on Australians is to find a better balance at the election,' he said. 'But now the Albanese government has been re-elected, Australians should expect more industrial action and higher costs until we see a change of government.' TWU national secretary Michael Kaine last month predicted that 200 enterprise agreements expiring in 2026 will be an opportunity to launch widespread strikes. 'Make no mistake – this will be the largest co-ordinated industrial campaign in Australian transport history,' Kaine told the TWU's national conference in Brisbane in May. 'This alignment of agreements isn't accidental. It's been carefully orchestrated to maximise our collective bargaining power.' Workers are allowed to strike without fear of being sacked during enterprise bargaining negotiations, under provisions of the Fair Work Act of 2009 introduced by a Labor government. Enterprise agreements expire next year at airlines Qantas and Virgin Australia, logistics companies Linfox and Toll, Amazon, supermarket chain Aldi, construction materials company Boral, waste disposal chain Cleanaway and airport ground handling firm Swissport. Kaine, whose union is affiliated with the Labor Party, had vowed to shut down Australia's transport sector. 'We are prepared to shut down Australian transport,' he said. 'There will be disruption. It will be significant. It will be coordinated. And it will be effective.' Albanese tried to sound conciliatory on Tuesday, emphasising that unions only thrived when private-sector employers were successful. 'Well, we're a Labor government, we support unions existing and some of the commentators prefer that unions didn't exist,' he told the National Press Club on Tuesday. 'That's the truth. But we will always respect both the role of business and the role of unions. 'And one of the things that I say is that there are common interests that – I say this to unions as well: you don't get union members unless you've got successful employers. It's the private sector that drives an economy.' Output at Australian workplaces is going backwards with productivity plunging by one per cent in the year to March. Gross domestic product per capita shrunk in the March quarter, threatening to revive a per capita recession that had persisted from early 2023 until the September quarter of 2024.
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Moira Deeming offered John Pesutto chance to avoid bankruptcy on condition Liberal party assured her preselection
Moria Deeming offered John Pesutto a chance to avoid bankruptcy and delay payment of $2.3m in legal costs until 2027 on the condition her pre-selection for the next election be assured by the Liberal party. The upper house MP commenced bankruptcy proceedings earlier this month after the former Liberal leader failed to pay the costs ordered by the federal court in May. The court found Pesutto repeatedly defamed Deeming by falsely implying she sympathised with neo-Nazis and white supremacists. On Sunday, Deeming wrote to Pesutto with a last minute offer to resolve a damaging saga for the party. The offer was also addressed to the party's president, Philip Davis and the Victorian opposition leader, Brad Battin. Federal Liberal leader Sussan Ley and Victorian frontbencher Dan Tehan were also copied into correspondence. The offer was not accepted before the 5pm Tuesday deadline as the Liberal party did not agree to its terms. Deeming told the senior figures she was dismayed by reports the state party was considering loaning its own funds to Pesutto to help him pay her legal fees and avoid bankruptcy, which would trigger a byelection in his seat of Hawthorn. 'From the outset, both former president Greg Mirabella and incumbent Philip Davis publicly stated that no party funds would be used in this action and to now expect the party to cover Pesutto's substantial debts goes against the grain of everything we believe as Liberals,' Deeming wrote. Deeming's offer to grant Pesutto more time to pay her legal costs came with five conditions, including that her preselection for the seat of western metropolitan is endorsed by a special resolution however described in constitutional terms'. She said this was necessary 'so that I enjoy the right to serve my community without any internal distractions, which is something denied to me to date'. Preselections for the upcoming 2026 state election are expected to begin later this year and Liberal party sources expect Deeming would face a challenge for the top spot of the western metropolitan ticket. One party source in the region has told Guardian Australia just three of the 11 local branches that make up her seat support Deeming. They said membership numbers in the region since 2022 had increased just enough to tilt the balance in a challenge's favour. 'She doesn't have the local numbers to secure preselection,' they said. It's possible the party's administrative committee takes charge of some preselections. But two other Liberal sources have said Battin would not want to intervene. 'He's fed up with the entire situation,' a party executive said. 'If Moira doesn't have the numbers, she's gone. He's not going to step in to help her. He just wants the membership to decide.' In the letter, Deeming also asked the Liberal party 'to provide me and my family an unreserved written and public apology for the way I have been treated, for the imputations against my reputation, and that all the false allegations and defamatory slurs directed towards me are rejected'. Deeming wanted the apology to come from Battin. She wanted Pesutto to pay all money raised so far to pay her costs – reportedly more than $1m – to be paid to her now with the rest due by 30 March 2027. She also urged the Liberal party to appoint an independent person from outside Victoria, such as a former judge, to conduct a review of the party's complaint resolution process. Finally, she asked 'all parties draw a line under the events of the past two years and ensure our focus is on the constituents we serve, the party we love and the people of Victoria'. 'I also want to respect the donors who have supported our cause in their hope that a good government can once again return to the state we love under the leadership of Mr Battin, whom I am deeply committed to and support as his representative in western metropolitan'. Deeming was contacted for comment.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Peter FitzSimons comes under blistering attack over trans comments - as scathing commentator Lucy Zelic makes her point by dragging his wife Lisa Wilkinson into heated argument
Radio star and former soccer commentator Lucy Zelic has continued her crusade against transgender athletes competing against women by launching a scathing attack on Peter FitzSimons for a recent newspaper column he wrote about the issue. Zelic repeatedly referred to the former footy star's wife Lisa Wilkinson as she accused him of 'pretending biological reality doesn't matter' in his opinion piece, which was titled 'Shame on those who whip up hate against trans athletes for clicks and votes'. FitzSimons described recent coverage of the issue in Australia and overseas as 'hate-bait' - a poisonous version of clickbait - and slammed those who are opposed to trans competitors playing against women for failing to think of how their stance hurts the athletes involved. 'We need to call out this kind of stuff for what it is, he wrote. 'It is not a genuine attempt to achieve fairness in sport put out by people who have a genuine track record of earnestly examining that very thing. 'It's just hate-bait, no more, no less, put out by people whose job in life is to stir up big trouble way above and beyond what the actual problem is.' Zelic brought FitzSimons' wife Lisa Wilkinson (pictured together) into the argument as she slammed him for 'pretending biological reality doesn't matter' Zelic hit back in a post to X on Monday, accusing FitzSimons of painting 'a very one-sided picture that attracts vitriol from BOTH sides of the aisle'. 'That you are impervious to the death threats and vile insults being hurled at women daily over their belief that the female sports category is worthy of protection, beggars belief,' Zelic wrote. 'According to you, we're all just a bunch of "bastards" laughing maniacally over a glass of pinot and whipping up hatred for clicks and votes. Is this what you've reduced women to? 'Your wife certainly never kowtowed to men consumed by their own arrogance but the application of your double-standards to women who are experiencing similar, is quite astounding. 'And speaking of which, let's cut through the real nonsense here - you know what a woman is, Pete. Come on. 'You married one, who gave you three beautiful children, and eloquently shared her challenging birth story and heartbreaking experiences with miscarriages. It made so many women who encountered similar, feel seen. 'Those pretending that biological reality doesn't matter, or that the lines can be blurred, will always do so until it's time to reproduce, or find the person you'd like to share a life of intimacy with. All of a sudden, we know who the women are.' Zelic also referred to FitzSimons' time as a forward with the Wallabies to make a point about physical mismatches in sport, writing 'f you decided to run full pelt at [women's rugby star] Charlotte Caslick while you were in your prime - she'd be lucky to avoid a hospital visit'. The 2GB commentator also told FitzSimons, 'It's easy to adopt an issue based on compassionate grounds when you're sitting in the comfort of your mansion, but it's far harder to cross paths with a rape survivor, who loved playing in her local women's hockey team, until the presence of a male in her changing room triggered her. 'Everyone is entitled to their opinion. I defended your right to have one when it came to Australian football but choosing to flippantly glaze over girls losing spots on teams and women being forced into silence? This one's indefensible mate.' Zelic's post drew support from Liberal MP Moira Deeming and British Olympic swimming star Sharron Davies, who called her words 'excellent rebuttal made with logic & facts'. Zelic has been vocal about trans issues on several occasions and has been outspoken about the Flying Bats, a Sydney women's soccer team that fields trans players and has also been singled out by Harry Potter author JK Rowling. The former SBS star called for the team to be banned from playing after they enjoyed an undefeated season despite complaints from officials from rival clubs, with some sides forfeiting matches against them. Club president Jennifer Peden told Daily Mail Australia last year: 'As a club, the Flying Bats FC stand strongly for inclusion, and pride ourselves on safe, respectful and fair play, the promotion of a supportive community for LGBTQIA+ players, officials and supporters, and the significant physical, social and mental health benefits that participation in sport brings, especially to marginalised members of the LGBTQIA+ community. We are a club that values our cisgender and transgender players equally. 'We strongly support the Australian Human Rights Commission's guidelines for the inclusion of transgender and gender diverse people in sport.' Another trans sport issue made headlines recently when two trans netball players were banned from playing in a Victorian competition. One of them, Manawa Aranui, hit out furiously at the decision. 'I've sat quietly long enough while this narrative brewed and I've been dragged - publicly and without consent - into a conversation where both my character and identity have been attacked,' she wrote. 'You're entitled to believe it's 'unfair' for cis women to compete against transgender women. That's your opinion. But the lies? They need to stop.
