Sussan Ley, who has served as deputy opposition leader for three years under Peter Dutton, has announced her intention to succeed him as the leader of the Liberal Party, potentially making her Australia’s first female opposition leader. This move follows Dutton’s loss in the Dickson seat.
Ley, currently the acting leader of the Liberal Party, has had a distinctive journey. Born in Nigeria in 1961, she moved at a young age to the United Arab Emirates due to her father’s career as a British intelligence officer, later relocating to England and eventually Australia. At 13, she settled on a hobby farm in Toowoomba, Queensland, before fully establishing herself in Canberra, where she explored the local alternative scene during her adolescence.
In her late teens, Ley became interested in numerology and chose to modify her name from Susan to Sussan to attract a more exciting life, believing it would influence her personality positively. After completing high school, she aspired to be one of the first female commercial pilots in Australia and gained a pilot’s licence, although she could not find work in that area. She instead took a role as an emergency bush pilot in Queensland, where she met her future husband, John Ley. The couple later settled in Victoria, raising three children.
After various roles in agriculture and training, Ley entered politics, winning a seat in the House of Representatives for Farrer in 2001. She consistently defended her seat in southern New South Wales, which comprises several local government areas, including Albury and Griffith. Ley holds impressive academic qualifications, including a Bachelor of Economics and two Master’s degrees in Accounting and Taxation, which she has employed in her political career.
Throughout her political journey, Ley has held several significant positions, including Parliamentary Secretary and Assistant Minister under former Prime Ministers John Howard and Tony Abbott. She was eventually promoted to Minister for Health and Sport in 2014 and later added Aged Care to her responsibilities after Malcolm Turnbull’s ascendance to power. However, her career faced a setback following a 2017 controversy regarding the purchase of a Gold Coast investment property during a taxpayer-funded trip. Despite this, she returned to the frontbench in 2019 as the environment minister under Scott Morrison.
After the Liberal Party’s defeat in the 2022 federal election, Ley was appointed deputy leader to Dutton. Following his ousting from the Dickson seat, she has stepped into the role of Acting Leader, now preparing for competition for the permanent leadership position. Treasury spokesperson Angus Taylor has also declared his candidacy in the upcoming leadership ballot, which is set for next Tuesday.