It's time, Sussan Ley: What Gough Whitlam can teach her about saving a lost party
In 1967, Gough Whitlam was in a strikingly similar position to Sussan Ley today. The newly installed Labor leader was little known to the public. He bore no resemblance to his unpopular predecessor. His objective was to modernise a party that had lost touch with modern Australia.
illo from Joe Benke
Whitlam came to the leadership after Labor had suffered a devastating electoral rout in 1966 – a massive landslide to Harold Holt's coalition, in which the number of Labor MPs was reduced to half those of the government: almost exactly the same ratio as the opposition today.
When Sussan Ley gave her first big speech as opposition leader last Wednesday, Gough Whitlam was probably the furthest thing from her mind. Her speech was as un-Whitlamesque as it is possible to be: humble, self-critical, even apologetic. Frankly acknowledging that 'what we as the Liberal Party presented to the Australian people was comprehensively rejected', Ley went on to say: 'We respect the election outcome with humility. We accept it with contrition.'
I doubt we've ever heard such honest self-appraisal from an Australian political leader. Yet, to draw a line under the worst defeat in the Liberal Party's history, that was precisely what the occasion demanded, and Ley hit the mark.
It tells you just how far the party had drifted from the political mainstream that the very fact the speech took place at the National Press Club – second only to parliament as the customary venue for important political addresses – was itself a story. By returning to a rostrum boycotted by her predecessor, the new leader sent an unmistakable message: we're no longer in the echo chamber; the Liberal Party is back in the game.
Ley used the speech to sketch a path forward for internal reform and future policy development.
One of the most important issues she dealt with was the party's future approach to emissions reduction. She announced the establishment of a working group on 'energy and emissions reduction' policy. Led by Dan Tehan – one of the Coalition's most capable politicians, who was the only frontbencher to claim a ministerial scalp in the last parliament – it is tasked with developing policies that ensure a stable energy grid to provide affordable and reliable power, while reducing emissions 'so that we are playing our part in the global effort'.
Ley did not specifically mention the 2050 net zero emissions target, which has been Coalition policy since 2021, although her carefully chosen language suggested no appetite to abandon it.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Perth Now
an hour ago
- Perth Now
Minority premier takes campaign crack at independents
Tasmania's Liberal premier has taken a swipe at "single-issue" independents as he attempts to turn voters away from another minority government scenario. The island state is heading to the polls on July 19, the second time in two years, after its parliament passed a no-confidence motion in Premier Jeremy Rockliff in early June. The Liberals have governed in minority since 2023, and collapsing relationships with the crossbench have triggered the past two elections. Opinion polls show the Liberals (14 seats) and Labor (10) face an uphill battle to reach the 18-seat mark required for majority. The Liberals held their official campaign launch at a car dealership in Launceston on Sunday. "I know many Tasmanians feel good about voting for an independent. But look at how it's worked out," Mr Rockliff told party faithful. "Despite our very best efforts, because of political games played by Labor, the Greens and some independents, it has been a recipe for instability and uncertainty. "Independents, especially those single-issue independents, are not the answer. They are threatening the very future of our state. "They will continue to create uncertainty. And hurl us straight back to where we have been." The no-confidence motion against Mr Rockliff was passed with the votes of Labor, the Greens and three crossbenchers. According to polling in May, Labor has the support of 31 per cent of voters, the Liberals 29, with the remaining 41 per cent split between minor parties, independents and "other". Incumbent independent Kristie Johnston, one of the three crossbenchers to vote for the no-confidence motion, has the backing of notable federal independent Andrew Wilkie. Anti-salmon campaigner Peter George, who gave sitting Labor MP Julie Collins a run at the federal election in May, is having a tilt at state parliament. The Nationals are seeking to capitalise on anti-major party sentiment by running candidates including former Liberal John Tucker. Mr Tucker quit the Liberals to sit on the crossbench in 2023, plunging the government into minority. He campaigned outside the University of Tasmania Stadium in Launceston on Saturday with a truck emblazoned with the Nationals' opposition to a new stadium in Hobart. Construction of the stadium, supported by the Liberals and Labor but opposed by some minor parties and independents, is a condition of Tasmania's entry into the AFL in 2028. Mr Rockliff used the Liberal campaign rally to announce a $240 million investment to deliver 250 more hospital beds. The campaign has been bereft of major funding announcements, with the state's growing debt under the Liberals a major reason for the no-confidence motion. Labor leader Dean Winter has spruiked a plan to find $1 billion in budget savings and establish a budget repair round table. The state's chamber of commerce and industry on Sunday threw its support behind the round table idea. "(Their) support reflects a growing consensus ... that we can't continue to ignore the crisis created by the Liberals," Mr Winter said.
The Age
an hour ago
- The Age
Julie Bishop visits Moscow in role as UN special envoy for Myanmar
London: Julie Bishop has made a rare trip to the Kremlin, meeting senior Russian officials during a visit that underscores Moscow's growing influence in Myanmar and its central role in shielding the country's military regime from global pressure. The former Australian foreign minister and current United Nations special envoy for Myanmar held talks with Kremlin figures. She posted photos to her Instagram last week from inside Russia's Foreign Ministry and Red Square – a striking image for a Western diplomat, given Russia's diplomatic isolation over its ongoing invasion of Ukraine. Bishop, who rarely speaks publicly about her role, declined to comment when approached by this masthead, only confirming the visit as part of her role in engaging key UN Security Council members on Myanmar's political and humanitarian crisis. Russia is one of the junta's most powerful allies, supplying arms, vetoing UN resolutions, and expanding oil and gas co-operation. The Kremlin recently announced new strategic agreements with Myanmar's military, even as the regime continues its crackdown on political opponents, ethnic minorities, and pro-democracy forces. In an address to the UN General Assembly earlier this month, Bishop warned that since the February 2021 coup, 'Myanmar has been in polycrisis with more than 14,000 civilian fatalities and 80,000 total fatalities recorded, more than 3.5 million internally displaced and over 100,000 houses torched.' Loading She condemned the junta for continuing to 'fly airstrikes as part of its campaign against anti-junta forces and Myanmar's people, despite a ceasefire announcement,' and said the plight of the Rohingya had 'only worsened' since the military seized power. 'Those who have been forcibly deported from Myanmar face an uncertain future, with life-saving support to refugees significantly reduced, while Rohingya inside Myanmar face continuing persecution, displacement, and denial of human rights amidst an intensifying conflict,' she said. She also warned that elections planned by the junta for December were aimed at whitewashing military rule.
Sydney Morning Herald
an hour ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Julie Bishop visits Moscow in role as UN special envoy for Myanmar
London: Julie Bishop has made a rare trip to the Kremlin, meeting senior Russian officials during a visit that underscores Moscow's growing influence in Myanmar and its central role in shielding the country's military regime from global pressure. The former Australian foreign minister and current United Nations special envoy for Myanmar held talks with Kremlin figures. She posted photos to her Instagram last week from inside Russia's Foreign Ministry and Red Square – a striking image for a Western diplomat, given Russia's diplomatic isolation over its ongoing invasion of Ukraine. Bishop, who rarely speaks publicly about her role, declined to comment when approached by this masthead, only confirming the visit as part of her role in engaging key UN Security Council members on Myanmar's political and humanitarian crisis. Russia is one of the junta's most powerful allies, supplying arms, vetoing UN resolutions, and expanding oil and gas co-operation. The Kremlin recently announced new strategic agreements with Myanmar's military, even as the regime continues its crackdown on political opponents, ethnic minorities, and pro-democracy forces. In an address to the UN General Assembly earlier this month, Bishop warned that since the February 2021 coup, 'Myanmar has been in polycrisis with more than 14,000 civilian fatalities and 80,000 total fatalities recorded, more than 3.5 million internally displaced and over 100,000 houses torched.' Loading She condemned the junta for continuing to 'fly airstrikes as part of its campaign against anti-junta forces and Myanmar's people, despite a ceasefire announcement,' and said the plight of the Rohingya had 'only worsened' since the military seized power. 'Those who have been forcibly deported from Myanmar face an uncertain future, with life-saving support to refugees significantly reduced, while Rohingya inside Myanmar face continuing persecution, displacement, and denial of human rights amidst an intensifying conflict,' she said. She also warned that elections planned by the junta for December were aimed at whitewashing military rule.
