Former Liberal leader Sussan Ley has announced she will resign from parliament, triggering a byelection in her rural New South Wales seat of Farrer. Ley lost the Liberal leadership ballot 34-17 to conservative challenger Angus Taylor, who becomes opposition leader.
In a brief press conference, Ley said she would step away “completely and comprehensively from public life” to spend time with family and pursue her passion for aviation. She noted the destabilisation she faced from colleagues, saying the new leader needed “clear air”.
Ley’s departure sets up a contest in Farrer, a large electorate along the Victorian border. Independent Michelle Milthorpe, who ran strongly in 2025, has announced she will re-contest, while One Nation has also declared its candidacy. The byelection will be an early test for Taylor’s leadership, particularly against a resurgent One Nation polling at 22% nationally.
Ley said she bore no ill will to colleagues who voted against her and wished Taylor luck. She reflected on her tenure, which began after the party’s worst election defeat in 81 years, describing it as “very tough” but expressing pride in establishing a royal commission into antisemitism and delivering an energy policy.
