'We got smashed': but Ley eyes political resurrection
A plan to resurrect the coalition from the ashes of its election loss will be revealed by the opposition leader as she vows to represent modern Australia.
Sussan Ley will become the first Liberal leader to address the National Press Club since 2022 and the first female opposition leader to use the platform when she outlines her vision to win back voters on Wednesday.
Australians handed the coalition its worst loss at the federal election in May and, although Ms Ley has said her appointment to the opposition's top job represented a fresh approach, there is still some way to go.
"Let's be honest and up front about last month's election. We didn't just lose, we got smashed," she will say in her address.
"We respect the election outcome with humility, we accept it with contrition and we must learn from it with conviction.
"The task before me - and my team - is to lead a Liberal Party that respects modern Australia, reflects modern Australia and represents modern Australia."
Polls before the election suggested the coalition would not form government but the depth of the defeat was a shock.
The coalition was left without a leader and with less than half as many seats as Labor.
Policies such as an end to working-from-home arrangements for public servants and vague threats to cut jobs in government departments were blamed for its unpopularity with voters, alongside a perceived tendency to wade into culture wars.
These platforms failed to win over women and younger Australians, in particular.
But Ms Ley has committed to bringing them back into the Liberal fold, vowing to represent young and older Australians, professionals, everyday workers and families.
"Aspiration is the thread that connects every single part of Australian society," she will say.
"Aspiration is the foundation of the Australian promise.
"That promise feels distant for many Australians today."
By promising to reward, back and empower Australians, Ms Ley hopes to offer a strong alternative vote at the next federal election.
The coalition has been urged to move back towards the political centre, but many of its moderate members were wiped out at the election, leaving a significant contingent of conservatives that could threaten Ms Ley's leadership during the next three years.
She also has to navigate the relationship with the National Party after the long-term coalition partners split briefly during the fallout from the calamitous election result.
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The Advertiser
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Blunt-speaking Australians shouldn't "quibble" at Donald Trump's F-bomb, after he voiced his frustration with Israel and Iran for violating the ceasefire he brokered. The US president launched an attack on both nations for breaching the agreement, saying "they don't know what the f*** they are doing" on live television. His comments came after Israel accused Iran of breaking the truce. But Mr Trump lashed Israel for the number of bombs he claimed it dropped between the deal being made and the ceasefire taking effect. Treasurer Jim Chalmers said Australians shouldn't be concerned about the words used. "Far be it from for Australians to quibble with that kind of language," he told Sky News on Wednesday. "We heard some blunt speak from the president, and I think that just reflects the fact that the stakes are high in the Middle East. "I think those who haven't used that word privately can cast the first stone." Nationals Senator Matt Canavan had a light-hearted take on the president's outburst. "Ultimately, it's better that F-bombs are dropped than real bombs, isn't it? So let's hope this ceasefire does hold," he told Nine's Today show. Meanwhile, a Royal Australian Air Force jet carrying more than 100 Australians trying to escape the conflict in the Middle East, has flown out of Israel after airspace was reopened. Speaking from the NATO summit at The Hague, Defence Minister Richard Marles confirmed the 119 passengers left Tel Aviv in the early hours of Wednesday. "We were very pleased to be able to provide that flight, and they've now been relocated to a place within the region, which is obviously outside of the danger zone," he told reporters. "We continue to have (military) assets in the region ready to be able to provide assistance." Mr Marles said the government had also chartered civilian aircraft for future departures "in certain circumstances". The evacuees were taken out in a KC-30 RAAF jet. There are still about 3000 Australians in Iran who've registered with the government for help to leave, and more than 1000 in Israel. Foreign Minister Penny Wong said assisted departure flights from Iran were still not possible. The latest conflict erupted on June 13, when Israel fired missiles at Iran in a bid to blow up military assets, arguing it was on the cusp of developing nuclear weapons. The battle took a turn on the weekend when the US launched a bombing raid on Iran, blowing up three underground nuclear facilities. The airspace in both countries was shut to passenger aircraft, leading to the evacuation of Australian embassy staff and their dependents from Tehran. But the current ceasefire has not calmed the fears of Iranians in Australia. The Australian-Iranian community lives in fear of US or Israeli bombs killing their friends and family while also worrying about the threat posed by Iran's autocratic Islamic government to their loved ones. Persian Australian Community Association member Nader Ranjbar, there was hope the conflict could help de-stabilise the Iranian autocracy and pave the way for a new, democratic government. Without a new regime, he is concerned that the current administration will intensify its persecution of the Iranian people. "That's my worst fear," he told AAP. "That somehow they get away from this mess and the first thing they do is start killing Iranian people."
The Advertiser
an hour ago
- The Advertiser
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The leaders of South Korea and Japan are not attending, but the nations are represented. Australia has not locked in a meeting between Defence Minister Richard Marles and US President Donald Trump at the NATO summit in the Netherlands. Mr Marles, who is also the deputy prime minister, is set to face renewed pressure from the US, which wants its allies to lift defence spending. He is attending in place of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who pulled the pin on a potential trip to The Hague after other Indo-Pacific leaders opted out. Mr Albanese's planned first face-to-face meeting with Mr Trump, on the sidelines of the G7 summit earlier this month, was cancelled after an escalation in the conflict in the Middle East between Israel and Iran. Asked if he would meet the US president, Mr Marles said it wasn't yet confirmed. "It's not specifically on the agenda and I wouldn't want to overstate any of that," he told reporters at the security summit on Wednesday. "We are in large rooms with lots of people, and these meetings, gatherings like this, end up being pretty fluid in terms of the bilaterals that you end up organising." A meeting with any senior Trump administration officials would likely include talks on Washington's 30-day review of its nuclear submarine deal with Australia under the AUKUS partnership. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth previously called on Australia to massively boost its defence budget to 3.5 per cent of gross domestic product. Australia currently spends about two per cent of its GDP on defence, and is on track to increase that to 2.33 per cent by 2033/34. The Albanese government is also pushing for the removal of US tariffs, which impose a 10 per cent baseline levy on Australian goods exported to the US. Mr Marles is at the NATO military alliance summit as part of the Indo-Pacific Four group, which includes Australia, New Zealand, Japan and South Korea. The leaders of South Korea and Japan are not attending, but the nations are represented. Australia has not locked in a meeting between Defence Minister Richard Marles and US President Donald Trump at the NATO summit in the Netherlands. Mr Marles, who is also the deputy prime minister, is set to face renewed pressure from the US, which wants its allies to lift defence spending. He is attending in place of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who pulled the pin on a potential trip to The Hague after other Indo-Pacific leaders opted out. Mr Albanese's planned first face-to-face meeting with Mr Trump, on the sidelines of the G7 summit earlier this month, was cancelled after an escalation in the conflict in the Middle East between Israel and Iran. Asked if he would meet the US president, Mr Marles said it wasn't yet confirmed. "It's not specifically on the agenda and I wouldn't want to overstate any of that," he told reporters at the security summit on Wednesday. "We are in large rooms with lots of people, and these meetings, gatherings like this, end up being pretty fluid in terms of the bilaterals that you end up organising." A meeting with any senior Trump administration officials would likely include talks on Washington's 30-day review of its nuclear submarine deal with Australia under the AUKUS partnership. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth previously called on Australia to massively boost its defence budget to 3.5 per cent of gross domestic product. Australia currently spends about two per cent of its GDP on defence, and is on track to increase that to 2.33 per cent by 2033/34. The Albanese government is also pushing for the removal of US tariffs, which impose a 10 per cent baseline levy on Australian goods exported to the US. Mr Marles is at the NATO military alliance summit as part of the Indo-Pacific Four group, which includes Australia, New Zealand, Japan and South Korea. The leaders of South Korea and Japan are not attending, but the nations are represented. Australia has not locked in a meeting between Defence Minister Richard Marles and US President Donald Trump at the NATO summit in the Netherlands. Mr Marles, who is also the deputy prime minister, is set to face renewed pressure from the US, which wants its allies to lift defence spending. He is attending in place of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who pulled the pin on a potential trip to The Hague after other Indo-Pacific leaders opted out. Mr Albanese's planned first face-to-face meeting with Mr Trump, on the sidelines of the G7 summit earlier this month, was cancelled after an escalation in the conflict in the Middle East between Israel and Iran. Asked if he would meet the US president, Mr Marles said it wasn't yet confirmed. "It's not specifically on the agenda and I wouldn't want to overstate any of that," he told reporters at the security summit on Wednesday. "We are in large rooms with lots of people, and these meetings, gatherings like this, end up being pretty fluid in terms of the bilaterals that you end up organising." A meeting with any senior Trump administration officials would likely include talks on Washington's 30-day review of its nuclear submarine deal with Australia under the AUKUS partnership. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth previously called on Australia to massively boost its defence budget to 3.5 per cent of gross domestic product. Australia currently spends about two per cent of its GDP on defence, and is on track to increase that to 2.33 per cent by 2033/34. The Albanese government is also pushing for the removal of US tariffs, which impose a 10 per cent baseline levy on Australian goods exported to the US. Mr Marles is at the NATO military alliance summit as part of the Indo-Pacific Four group, which includes Australia, New Zealand, Japan and South Korea. The leaders of South Korea and Japan are not attending, but the nations are represented.
