Mark Parton elected as Canberra Liberals leader as Leanne Castley steps down, Jeremy Hanson resigns as deputy

There’s been a complete shake-up in the leadership of the Canberra Liberals, with Mark Parton elected the new leader after Leanne Castley stepped down earlier this morning. 

Deputy leader Jeremy Hanson also stepped down from his position, and Deborah Morris has been appointed the new deputy leader.

Mr Parton was first elected to the ACT Legislative Assembly in 2016, and has served as the speaker for the last year.

He received the second-highest personal vote of any MLA at the 2024 election, only being outdone by Chief Minister Andrew Barr.

In a press conference outside the assembly, Mr Parton said he was “absolutely sick to death of having conversations about internal party matters”.

“I can tell you people out in the suburbs are not having those conversations,” he said.

“And so I am here, along with Deborah Morris, to get nine parliamentary members on the same train, heading forward so that we can take on the government in 2028.”‘It’s time to leave shit behind’

Mr Parton said that in the past, his party had been divided by a line separating the left and the right.

“But I think in recent months my party’s been divided by a line that separates people who hang on to shit and people who leave shit behind,” he said.

“It is time to leave shit behind, and that’s why I’m here.

“I’m here to provide an alternative to the people of Canberra, because God knows they need it, and given the unanimous support in party room for [myself and Ms Morris], I’m supremely confident we can do that.”

Deborah Morris has been named the Canberra Liberals deputy leader. (ABC News: Harry Frost)

Deborah Morris said she was humbled to be unanimously elected as the party’s deputy leader, and took the task of defeating the Labor government at the next election very seriously.

“We have a moral obligation to ensure that a viable Liberal alternative will take government in the next election,” she said.

“Too many young people fear that they won’t be able to buy a home of their own one day, we’ve got more than 50 per cent of Canberrans saying that they’re afraid in their own community, and we have a budget that’s out of control.

“So we have a very important job ahead of us to secure government.”

Greens MLA Andrew Braddock will be acting speaker until the assembly appoints a new speaker, which will be the first item of business on the next sitting on December 2.

‘Best possible chance of success’

Leanne Castley led the Canberra Liberals for just one year.  (ABC News: Callum Flinn)

Ms Castley and Mr Hanson took over as leader and deputy just one year ago in the wake of Labor’s seventh-straight election victory.

Today’s leadership changes follow weeks of turmoil within the opposition, including the removal of Elizabeth Lee and Peter Cain from the party room after they crossed the floor on a vote in the ACT Legislative Assembly.

In a joint statement, Ms Castley and Mr Hanson said they made the decision to resign “to give the Canberra Liberals the best possible chance of success in the 2028 election”. 

“A vote will be held to elect a new leadership team, and neither of us will be contesting any leadership positions,” the statement said. 

“In the spirit of ensuring a genuine fresh start for the new team, we will not be commenting publicly on the circumstances that have led to this decision.”

Jeremy Hanson was the Canberra Liberals’ deputy leader.  (ABC News: Adam Kennedy)

Ms Castley is the ACT’s second-shortest serving opposition leader — something Acting Chief Minister Yvette Berry was quick to point out in a statement in response to the leadership changes.

“Taking down their leadership team after just 12 months is yet another example of how entrenched the divisions are within the party,” she said. 

“While the Liberals are focussing on themselves, we will continue to work on our progressive, long-term vision for our city.”

Months of tension within the party

Tensions have been simmering within the Canberra Liberals for months.

In September, it was revealed that Ms Lee and Mr Cain had been shut out of decision-making, when a new set of principles was adopted restricting key discussions about policy and strategy to frontbenchers.

In October, Elizabeth Lee and Peter Cain crossed the floor during a vote about next year’s sitting weeks. (ABC News: Toby Hunt)

At the time, Ms Lee described the move as a “dangerous precedent” that overturned one of the most fundamental conventions of the Liberal Party.

In late October, Ms Lee and Mr Cain were “suspended indefinitely” from the party room after they crossed the floor on a vote.

Ms Lee and Mr Cain voted with the Greens and the two independents, in a failed attempt to keep the number of sitting weeks in 2026 at 13.

Ms Castley had refused to be drawn on why Ms Lee and Mr Cain were removed from the party room, saying she would not be publicly discussing party room matters.

She had also continuously insisted that Liberal Party backbenchers were allowed to cross the floor.

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