Opposition leader insists she will stay in job amid net zero policy dispute
Opposition Leader Sussan Ley has rejected suggestions she will not be in office when parliament returns next year, despite the Liberal and National parties squabbling over the net zero policy that ousted previous leaders.
The dispute over whether the Liberals should follow the National Party and abandon its target of Australia reaching net zero emissions by 2050 has become a proxy war for the party’s overall management and leadership.
Opposition leader Sussan Ley looks down on her rivals and vows to be at work come Christmas.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
Asked if he was confident he would survive the final weeks of parliament in Canberra, known at the time as the “season of death” due to the sacking of other leaders, Ley said: “I feel completely confident and I have a smile on my face when I answer that because I know the media and commentators get a bit excited at times.”
“But… when I became leader I said I would work incredibly hard for the things that matter, for the national interest, for the people of Australia, for people who take risks, who believe in the future of this country, who work hard every day and who deserve a better government than what we see here in Canberra,” Ley told ABC Radio National.
Ley’s rivals, including Conservatives Andrew Hastie and Angus Taylor, have not put out figures for an imminent challenge.
Ley also criticized Hastie’s remarks about abortion. The Conservative backbencher in WA gave a speech last week expressing concern about a bill that would solidify paid parental leave rights for families who lose a pregnancy over fears it could apply to late-term abortions.
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Asked exclusively about Hastie by ABC Radio National’s Sabra Lane, Ley said: “As a mother and a grandmother, this is a very personal situation, so any comments about the application of this bill in other contexts would be insensitive.”
Coalition finance spokesman James Paterson said he supported Ley’s leadership but defended Hastie’s speech. He said the bill itself was important and the Coalition supported it, but it was also important for MPs to be able to raise issues of personal conscience.
