Senators Hollie Hughes and Linda Reynolds, who both voted for Ley, left the Senate at the end of June and Liberal Bradfield candidate Gisele Kapterian, who was allowed to vote for Ley in the leadership ballot because she was initially seen as the favourite to win the seat, lost to a teal. Kapterian has asked the High Court to overturn the result.
Former Liberal senator David Fawcett, whose term also ended in June, is believed to have voted for Taylor.
Ley’s supporters noted the latest Resolve Political Monitor poll, published by this masthead on Sunday, showed her with a net positive rating of 11, the highest likeability rating of any MP or party.
One Ley backer argued that Taylor had hardly “covered himself in glory” after the opposition defence spokesman said the US and Australia should make “a joint commitment to the security of Taiwan”, forcing him to clarify that the Coalition had not locked itself into supporting Australian involvement in any war over the self-governing island.
The pair had clashed over the issue of quotas for female Liberal candidates, Taylor slamming the idea and Ley expressing openness to it.
Another MP said the mood in the opposition was “low energy” and there was some disgruntlement about Ley’s choices for shadow frontbench roles.
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In public remarks to the party room, Ley said: “Our job is to represent the millions of Australians who voted for us and the millions who maybe did not but still expect us to be the strongest and best opposition that we can be, and we will be.”
Referring to an interview Prime Minister Anthony Albanese gave to this masthead and others following his trip to China, Ley said: “He’s been giving interviews and suggesting we should just get out of the way. Well, we won’t just get out of the way.”
She vowed to oppose moves by Treasurer Jim Chalmers to raise taxes, saying: “I haven’t met a single Australian who wants to pay more tax, who thinks they’re paying not enough tax.”
In remarks to the Labor caucus, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese declared that 2025 would be “our year of delivery” and implored MPs to show the same level of discipline as during the previous term.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese enters the Labor caucus meeting on Monday.Credit: Dominic Lorrimer
“And those opposite will have to decide whether they’ll continue the course that they set last term, which essentially was a cul de sac,” he said. “It didn’t lead anywhere at all, just saying no and not being constructive.”
Insisting that Labor could increase its thumping parliamentary majority, Albanese said: “There is no reason why every single one of you can’t just be returned to the next parliament, but can’t be added to as well. But we know that each and every day we must work hard to repay the faith that has been shown in us.”
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