Peta Credlin says Opposition Leader Sussan Ley lacks a‘political identify' as she outlines major challenges for Liberal MP to overcome
Sky News host Peta Credlin has claimed Opposition Leader Sussan Ley has a 'huge mountain to climb' ahead of the next federal election following the Liberal MP's first address at the National Press Club.
Ms Ley, in her speech on Wednesday, talked at length about her life before politics, sharing details about her time working in shearing sheds, as an outback pilot and her other prior jobs and experiences.
She also fronted up to her party's heavy defeat in the 2025 federal election, admitting the Liberals got 'totally smashed' by Labor.
The Sky News host said on Wednesday evening it was a speech the Opposition Leader 'had to make' as the Liberals look ahead to the next election cycle, before outlining the challenges facing Ms Ley in the meantime.
'Her problem is that despite being in the parliament for 24 years, she has had or has almost no political identity. Even inside the Liberal Party, most of her colleagues had no idea, even now, how to pronounce her name,' she said.
Credlin said she thought Ms Ley was elected Liberal leader, in part, because the party 'felt it had to have a woman' in charge following Peter Dutton's departure.
'And partly she won the leadership because she's never really upset anyone enough to make any enemies. Now in politics where conviction matters, that's not really a badge you want to wear with much enthusiasm,' Credlin said.
Though Credlin commended the MP's speech in Canberra as a 'well-crafted" introductory address, there were key points she said she felt the Liberal leader missed the mark on.
'Ley definitely deflected any really probing questions from the gallery, mostly by being brief because it's much easier to talk yourself into trouble than out of it,' Credlin said.
'Now for me, to be honest, it was not nearly enough economic narrative in what she had to say and too much focus, I thought, on social policy, areas that sold her short, unfortunately, as a woman leader rather than simply the leader.'
'Ley's speech today was a good start, but there's a huge mountain to climb if the Coalition, and the Liberal Party in particular, is to be competitive at the next election.'
Ms Ley in her speech on Wednesday also revealed the launch of an extensive review into the Liberals' landslide election loss in May.
It comes after another review into the party's election results, which is being chaired by former ministers Pru Goward and Nick Minchin, was announced last week.
'Our federal executive will soon discuss a more broad-ranging and wider review process of the fundamentals of the Liberal Party,' Ms Ley said.
'I believe there is a need for the party as a whole to have a deeper look at the existential issues we face, how our divisional constitutions operate and how we can better serve, support, and most importantly, grow our membership.'
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