Liberal Andrew Hastie Eyes Future Leadership

Epoch Times

20-05-2025

Liberal MP Andrew Hastie has revealed he has ambitions to lead his party in the future, just days after a new Opposition leader was elected.
Sussan Ley became the first woman chosen to lead the Liberal Party at the federal level on May 13, in a tight ballot decided by a few votes.
Hastie explained he has leadership ambitions, but that now is not the right time.
'I'd be foolish to say I don't have a desire to lead, but the timing was all out for personal reasons,' Hastie said on the Curtin's Cast
'I've got a young family, so I've got a nine-year-old, a seven-year-old, and a three-year-old. I'll never get those years back.'
Hastie added that leadership went beyond holding formal positions, and he hoped to contribute through policy and ideas over the next term.
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'Leadership can't be confined to just the position,' he said. 'We've also got to lead in the battle of ideas as well. I think that's where I want to make a contribution.'
Political strategist Kos Samaras, who co-hosted the podcast, described Hastie as part of a newer generation of MPs and noted he was one of the few Coalition members to record a swing in their favour at the election.
'The next successful Liberal leader is more likely to have been born in the 1980s, with little connection to the Howard era, an era the 2025 federal election abruptly brought to a close,' Samaras said.
'In my view, he represents a different generation of Coalition MPs, one that stands apart on multiple fronts.'
Hastie was elected into Parliament to the seat of Canning in 2015. He achieved a
Ley Distances Herself from Dutton
Meanwhile, newly elected leader Sussan Ley has revealed she intends to be distinct from Peter Dutton in her strategy going forward.
'Peter Dutton and I have different styles, we're different personalities, and I will bring a different approach to my leadership,' she said on the Today Show.
'Now is about the future, it is about the next election, it is about the team that I lead, and it is about optimism and a sense of purpose...'
Ley was backed by the moderate and centre-right-aligned parliamentarians in the leadership ballot and won by a narrow margin—
She said all members of the team had to accept responsibility for the loss and said she did not step back from that.
'Every election we look at what went wrong, at what we didn't do that we should have done, and we'll do that in an open and transparent way,' Ley said.
Labor Moves Quickly
While the Liberal Party is debating leadership and a direction forward, the Labor Party and Prime Minister have just sworn in a
Albanese said Labor would continue working hard, day and night, for all Australians.
'We have the largest ALP Caucus in history since Federation. A Caucus brimming with capacity, talent, and energy in both the House of Representatives and the Senate,' he
Senior Minister Richard Marles, Penny Wong, Katy Gallagher, Don Farrell, Tony Burke, Mark Butler, and Chris Bowen were among Labor MPs to retain their portfolios.
However, Tanya Plibersek has been moved from environment to social services, while Murray Watt will take over the environment portfolio.
Michelle Rowland has been promoted from the communications portfolio to Attorney general and replaces Mark Dreyfus.
Anne Aly, Tim Ayres, and Anika Wells have also been promoted to cabinet.