After the Fall: Can the Liberals Rebuild From the Ashes?
Less than a month after recording its worst federal election result in history, the Liberal Party finds itself fractured and faced with the challenge of rebuilding trust and direction.
From alienating key demographics to factional infighting, the Liberals—once Australia's natural party of government—are reckoning with a defeat many say was years in the making.
Former attorney-general George Brandis delivered one of the sharpest rebukes, arguing the party had systematically alienated large swathes of the electorate—women, public servants, multicultural communities, and inner-city voters.
'It was almost as if we were running out of new people to offend,' he told ABC's Four Corners.
Brandis said those blaming the historic loss on campaign missteps are missing the deeper rot within the party's image and ideological direction.
Modernise Or Return To Roots?
The result has triggered a battle for the soul of the party. One camp believes the Liberals have drifted too far from their economic and philosophical roots, diluting their message and confusing voters.
Another, led by new party leader Sussan Ley, believes the path forward lies in modernisation and occupying 'the sensible centre.'
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'The answer is not to move to the centre, but to move forward as one united team … continuing to bring together classical Liberals and conservatives in our great party together with the Nationals,' said Senator Sarah Henderson, rejecting the idea that the party had veered too far right.
But forging unity remains easier said than done.
Ley's own leadership is on shaky ground after she won the top job by just four votes over Shadow Treasurer Angus Taylor.
The Coalition's internal divisions erupted almost immediately after the loss, and nowhere are they clearer than on climate and energy policy.
MP Andrew Hastie made his position clear: abandon net-zero.
'I think the question of net zero, that's a straitjacket that I'm already getting out of,' he told Four Corners, echoing a growing view among the party's right flank.
O'Brien, formerly the Coalition's nuclear energy spokesperson, sidestepped the net-zero question altogether. Instead, he pivoted to cost-of-living concerns.
'The real question is should Australian families and businesses be paying more for their electricity?'
But moderates are against backpedalling. Senator Maria Kovacic warned that rejecting net-zero targets would alienate the next generation of voters.
'Most young Australians believe that climate change is real ... we have to deliver energy policies that ensure that we reach our net zero targets and that we deliver stable power ... as cheap as possible.'
Finding Their Way Back
With the dust settling, attention is turning to the road ahead. Some believe only a complete overhaul will save the party.
'They have lost any interest in balancing the budget, reducing taxes, being pro-free enterprise,' said former Liberal MP John Ruddick, who now backs more populist reforms with the Libertarian Party.
He advocates U.S.-style primaries to fix what he sees as a 'wrong candidate selection model,' and believes the party's failure lies in trying to mimic Labor.
'Donald Trump has shown us that the only way to push the left back … is to be on the front foot. Peter Dutton and Sussan Ley think, 'Oh well, we can win by being Labor-lite,'' he told The Epoch Times.
Others offer alternative views. Senator Kovacic believes reconnecting with core Liberal economic values may offer the clearest way forward.
'If we focused on our economic credentials … then I think we would've connected with people.'
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