His mother\u2019s death coincided with a collapse in wool and beef prices.<\/p>\n
\u201cI firmly believe that a strong family is the most important start in life any Australian can get,\u201d Taylor told The Issue.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt gives you a foundation that sets you up for the rest of your life. I was lucky to have that despite losing my mother.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a very close family, a very tight family, a very loyal family. I could not have done what I\u2019ve done through my life without that.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Coalition](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/8f4251f43f48eb1c51c0d2ff946a770018e97bb0.jpg\")
Coalition leader Angus Taylor grew up in the Snowy Mountains Credit: SuppliedTaylor\u2019s biggest regret<\/p>\n
The Coalition leader who succeeded Sussan Ley during a Liberal party room meeting in February, which he won 34 votes to 17, says his biggest regret from politics is the impact on his family.<\/p>\n
Taylor is married to Sydney barrister Louise Clegg and has four adult children, as well as a couple of pet corgis.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think the corgis have noticed, but the kids certainly have,\u201d Taylor said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey do keep me grounded; there\u2019s no question about that.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s hard on family, whichever side of politics you\u2019re on, I think that\u2019s challenging. So if there\u2019s a regret, it\u2019s the impact it has had on my family.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the end of the day, I\u2019m dad and I\u2019m a husband and that\u2019s my first and most important role, but close behind that, of course, is fighting for our country and I do that every day.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Taking on Pauline and Albo <\/p>\n
Taylor arguably has the hardest job in Australian politics right now.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s leading a depleted Coalition up against a dominant Labor Government and a resurgent One Nation.<\/p>\n
When asked how he will see off his rivals, Taylor nominates economic and cultural concerns.<\/p>\n
The 59-year-old says Anthony Albanese \u201chas undermined our economy, he has undermined our way of life, and Australia is going in the wrong direction\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cI believe in protecting our way of life and celebrating our values and what we believe in. I think that\u2019s a stark contrast to Anthony Albanese,\u201d Taylor said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve got to make it easier for people to do things, more energy abundance, more food abundance, more housing, and that way we\u2019ll have a stronger economy where people can get ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Angus](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/0b69bef281c6a6cc36022f20b2a5265de2274dd8.jpg\")
Angus with his wife Louise Taylor and his parents, Anne and Peter Taylor. Credit: Supplied.Drill baby drill <\/p>\n
Despite being an economic rationalist, pro-free-trade and pro-free-markets, Taylor says Australia must learn the lessons of the Iran conflict by producing more things and loosening restrictions around drilling for oil.<\/p>\n
Labor constantly criticises the Opposition Leader for a decision he made as Energy Minister in 2020, when he put Australia\u2019s fuel reserves in Texas, USA.<\/p>\n
\u201cCan I say that I established the mandatory stock holding obligation and I did that because we needed more fuel in this country and Chris Bowen is taking advantage of that,\u201d Taylor tells The Issue.<\/p>\n
\u201cI saved the final two refineries in this country and Chris Bowen decided that one of them should export all of their fuel.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese are initiatives I\u2019ve put in place, and I got as much fuel as I could stocked for Australia at a time when we had no storage in this country and I will continue to fight to make sure we have the fuel security.\u201d<\/p>\n
The rise of One Nation and immigration policy <\/p>\n
In the latest Issue Podcast episode Taylor criticises One Nation\u2019s Pauline Hanson for her comment to Sky News where she said, \u201cYou say oh there are good Muslims out there, well I am sorry how can you say there are good Muslims.\u201d<\/p>\n
Taylor says Hanson went a step too far.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t agree with that comment,\u201d Taylor said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI mean, there are many good Muslims here today at the Camden Show, they believe in our core values.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople who adopt Australia\u2019s core values here are great Australians.\u201d<\/p>\n
Australia\u2019s net overseas migration levels edged up to 311,000 in the year to September 30, 2025.<\/p>\n
The Coalition has further delayed the release of an immigration policy, despite the surge of One Nation in the polls, which has been attributed to voters\u2019 concerns around arrival numbers into Australia.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ll see more detail on that in the coming months,\u201d Taylor says.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut the numbers are too high, the standards are too low and we\u2019ve got to protect our values.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Taylor](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/72f25615c63add6acf2b0ff065425b323bf9becb.jpg\")
Taylor has said the Coalition will soon release their immigration policy Credit: FacebookCircle of advisers <\/p>\n
Taylor tells 7NEWS he is relying on a wide but experienced circle of advisers.<\/p>\n
The group includes his Shadow Cabinet team, among them Jane Hume, James Paterson, Andrew Hastie and Jacinta Price.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s also speaking to former Prime Ministers John Howard, Scott Morrison and Tony Abbott, as well as former Treasurer Peter Costello.<\/p>\n
Plus, he\u2019s actively trying to reconnect the Liberal Party with big and small businesses, after former leader Peter Dutton damaged relationships with the top end of town.<\/p>\n
![\"Tony](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/b1f0f7f0fbdd8e4af82f1972f045837cb24cf846.jpg\")
Tony Abbott and Peter Dutton provide advice to Taylor. Credit: Supplied<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s lots of people from my past working in business, including small businesspeople,\u201d Taylor says.<\/p>\n
\u201cI listen to small businesspeople from my own electorate and from across Australia, because they\u2019re the ones who are at the frontline of what\u2019s gone wrong with our country and our economy.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe country\u2019s going in the wrong direction, and there\u2019s a better way.\u201d<\/p>\n
You can catch more of The Issue on Listnr<\/a> or watch full episodes on our YouTube channel.<\/a><\/p>\n