Former Liberal leader exits after 25 years, leaving party funds behind and urging voters to keep seat in Coalition hands Sussan Ley has formally resigned from federal Parliament, closing a 25-year political career with a carefully worded statement that appeared to take aim at her successor, Angus Taylor, while setting up a high-stakes by-election in the NSW seat of Division of Farrer. Sussan Ley has formally resigned in white (middle) In her departure message, the former Liberal leader welcomed what she described as the Coalition’s “re-adoption” of policy directions set during her tenure

Former Liberal leader exits after 25 years, leaving party funds behind and urging voters to keep seat in Coalition hands Sussan Ley has formally resigned from federal Parliament, closing a 25-year political career with a carefully worded statement that appeared to take aim at her successor, Angus Taylor, while setting up a high-stakes by-election in the NSW seat of Division of Farrer.

Sussan Ley has formally resigned in white (middle)

In her departure message, the former Liberal leader welcomed what she described as the Coalition’s “re-adoption” of policy directions set during her tenure — a phrase widely interpreted as a pointed reference to Mr Taylor’s recent policy announcements, including positions on the return of ISIS brides that mirrored measures she had outlined weeks earlier. Ley, who made history as the first woman to lead the federal Liberal Party and any federal opposition, framed her leadership as a milestone moment. “I believe my election as the first woman to ever lead not just the Federal Liberal Party, but any Federal Opposition, is a milestone for all women to be proud of,” she said. Her resignation follows the Coalition’s worst electoral defeat in more than eight decades a result that ended her leadership after a brief but turbulent period at the helm.

By-Election Looms in Long-Held Seat

Ley’s exit automatically triggers a by-election in Farrer, a sprawling regional electorate created in 1949 and held continuously by the Coalition. The contest is expected to be the first major electoral test for Mr Taylor’s leadership, with challenges emerging from One Nation and an independent candidate. In a pointed reminder of the seat’s history, Ley stressed that Farrer “has always been bigger than any one individual” and urged voters to return a Liberal candidate to Canberra. “The election of a Liberal Member in the Farrer by-election is vital for the betterment and ongoing strength of our region,” she said, adding that Mr Taylor “can and will ensure the Party continues to enjoy the support, trust and confidence of the people of Farrer.”

Sussan Ley has formally resigned addressing the nation during election campaign

It is understood she has left approximately $250,000 in campaign funds to support the Liberal campaign in the upcoming contest.

Reflecting on a Political Journey

Ley used her final remarks to reflect on her migration to Australia as a young girl and her deep ties to regional communities in western New South Wales. She recounted towing a caravan during her early campaigning days and flying herself in a light aircraft to remote airstrips across the electorate  experiences she said shaped her understanding of rural life. “I became attached to the landscapes and lifestyles of this part of Australia and was never prouder than when speaking up for our communities in the national Parliament,” she said. She paid tribute to farming families facing droughts and fires, small business owners sustaining regional towns, and “the wonderful women of western New South Wales the ones who put themselves last without ever losing heart.”

No Valedictory Speech

In a break from parliamentary tradition, Ley confirmed she will not return to deliver a valedictory speech, saying her record would “speak for itself” and that her decision would give Mr Taylor “clear air” as he rebuilds the party. Over her career, she served as a minister in four Coalition governments and held senior portfolios spanning health, environment and education before ascending to the party leadership. “I look forward to stepping away completely and comprehensively from public life,” she said, adding that she plans to spend more time with family and reconnect with her passion for aviation. As the Coalition regroups after electoral defeat, the Farrer by-election now looms as an early measure of whether the party can retain its regional strongholds  and whether Mr Taylor can consolidate authority after a leadership change marked by internal tensions. For Ley, however, the curtain has fallen on a quarter-century in public life  one she insists will be judged by history, not farewell speeches.

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