Sussan Ley Tells Liberals to 'Change or Die' After Historic Farrer Loss
Australian opposition leader Sussan Ley has told her Liberal Party that it must 'change or die' after One Nation pulled off a historic by-election win in Farrer. Internal recriminations over policy direction and leadership have flared up again.
Australian Federal Liberal leader Sussan Ley issued a stark warning after her party lost the long-held rural seat of Farrer to One Nation. Ley said the Liberals are now facing a binary choice between change and extinction.
The Farrer by-election laid bare long-running fractures inside Australia's centre-right. The 9-point swing against the Liberals signals that the resentment from the last federal defeat has not subsided in the party's regional base. The party's national executive is preparing the agenda for an emergency meeting in the coming days.
Markets shrugged on the headline, with the Australian dollar barely moving. Bank stocks with rural exposure are being watched. Labor in government is using the result to reframe its expansionary budget posture as a counter to the One Nation surge. The Treasury is due to release its summer forecast update next week.
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