Former shadow treasurer seeks to lead opposition

Who is Angus Taylor?

Noting that the Liberal Party is “at a crossroads” following a resounding defeat by the Labor Party in the election, Taylor positioned himself as a candidate of reform, promising to rebuild both the party and its policy platform around “real ideas” to address pressing national challenges, especially housing and economic opportunity.

Speaking on Friday morning (9 May), Taylor said his decision was not taken lightly, but came “with conviction”, emphasising that the Liberal Party must “regroup, rebuild, and get back in the fight” if it is to regain the trust of Australians.

He noted that the party wanted to “restore the party” around its values of “sound economic management and personal responsibility”, national security, aspiration and reward for effort, and “a vibrant private sector that creates jobs and opportunity”.

“Our party needs deep renewal,” Taylor said.

“We need policies that speak to Australians across all walks of life. We need real ideas that match the scale of the challenges we face. From housing and energy to the cost of living and national defence.

“We need to show the country that we’re serious about aspiration, opportunity, and backing Australians to get ahead.”

He flagged his experience in politics – from having worked in the Morrison government to being on the front line of “economic debates” while in opposition.

“I know what it takes to lead a team, to craft a message, and to deliver real outcomes,” he said.

Taylor has been the member for Hume since 2013 and is a member of the national right faction of the Liberal Party.

He was a key architect of the Coalition’s economic and housing proposals during the recent campaign, taking a leading role in outlining a broad economic reform agenda aimed at boosting home ownership, revitalising small business, and positioning Australia as a regional financial hub.

At the National Press Club in April, Taylor warned of the “collapse in home ownership” and its “profound implications not just for our aspirational character, but the costs of our retirement system”.

He proposed measures including a recommitment to the First Home Guarantee, reforms to “overly cautious” loan serviceability rules in cooperation with APRA, and allowing first home buyers early access to superannuation – policies he said would target the critical issues of security, serviceability, and supply in the housing market.

Taylor has also championed tax reform and deregulation for small businesses, including a permanent expansion of the instant asset write-off and simplified compliance for meal deductions and fringe benefits.

These moves, Taylor argued, would ease the burden on 98 per cent of Australian businesses and promote productivity and employment.

In his announcement, Taylor struck a tone of urgency and ambition. “This moment demands experience. It also demands energy, humility, and a clear plan for the future,” he said.

“We must offer Australians something more than opposition.”

Prior to entering Parliament, Taylor was a director at Port Jackson Partners, where he was a strategy and business adviser on the resources, agriculture, energy and infrastructure sectors. He had also formerly been a partner at global consulting firm McKinsey & Co.

Taylor goes up against deputy Liberal leader Sussan Ley, who also declared her candidacy to lead the party on Friday morning.

Who is Sussan Ley?

Ley – who has been acting Liberal Party leader since Dutton’s unseating – was formerly the deputy leader of the opposition and shadow minister for women, as well as the shadow minister for industry, skills and training and shadow minister for small and family business.

Her move to lead the opposition comes after claims the Coalition lost the election partly due to a lack of support from female voters.

Announcing her leadership candidacy on Friday, she said: “The Liberal Party needs to listen to the Australian people and meet them where they are. We need to understand their aspirations. We need to build a new economic narrative. We need new policy offerings that show Australians we can help them and their families get ahead …

“We need to listen, and we need to change. The Liberal Party must respect modern Australia, reflect modern Australia and represent modern Australia.

“Many Australians, including women and younger Australians, feel neglected by the Liberal Party. We must rebuild trust with all sections of Australian society, and my election as leader of the Liberal Party would send a very strong signal that we understand things need to be done differently.”

During the election campaign, Ley had been critical of the Labor Party’s handling of the instant asset write-off. “In stripping back the instant asset write-off last night, Labor has raised a new tax on small businesses at the worst possible time,” Ley said last month.

“Our iconic cafes and restaurants have been hammered by Labor’s high-cost economy, and we have lost one in 10 hospitality businesses as a result.”

Ley – who has been the member for Farrer since 2001 – has a particular focus on rural needs and regional issues, having herself been part of a livestock and dairy farming partnership for 17 years.

She is an advocate for decentralisation, improving local food security, balancing water for agriculture, and increasing services for rural health.

Ley holds a commercial pilot’s licence and previously worked as an air traffic controller with Sydney and Melbourne airports, as well as aerial stock-mustering in outback NSW and Queensland.

[Related: What to expect from the new government]