Resignations Begin Amid Liberal Party Turmoil

Melbourne, 12 February: A wave of resignations has begun within Australia’s Liberal Party amid deepening internal turmoil. In a move seen as backing Angus Taylor, frontbencher Claire Chandler resigned from the shadow cabinet on Thursday morning. News.com.au confirmed that the Tasmanian senator had been serving as Shadow Minister for Cyber Security and Shadow Minister for Science.

Chandler’s resignation is being viewed as symbolic. She is the first woman to step down in response to claims that Sussan Ley has not been given a “fair go” as the party faces a potential leadership challenge led by Taylor. Party sources say more frontbench resignations are likely to follow.

Sky News host Peta Credlin has criticised what she described as a “handbag hit squad” rallying around Sussan Ley. She argued that invoking claims of sexism to influence the leadership debate should stop, saying the issue is not misogyny but electoral arithmetic. Credlin noted that a collapse in the primary vote from 32 per cent to 18 per cent would be fatal for any leader.

Several high-profile Liberal women have publicly backed Angus Taylor. Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price said she supports a change of leadership and will back Taylor, warning that without change the party risks being wiped out at the next federal election.

However, Taylor’s leadership push has also drawn criticism. Conservative commentator Andrew Bolt described Taylor’s remarks as underwhelming, while former Labor staffer Cameron Milner said the announcement lacked clarity and failed to demonstrate strong leadership.

Speaking at a press conference in Canberra on Wednesday night, Angus Taylor confirmed he had resigned from Sussan Ley’s shadow cabinet. He said the Liberal Party is in its worst position since its formation in 1944 and argued that the current leadership is unable to put the party in a position of strength or hold the Labor government to account. While he stopped short of explicitly declaring a leadership challenge, he described the current situation as “unsustainable”.

Supporters of Sussan Ley said Taylor had not formally called for a leadership spill, leaving open the possibility that Ley may attempt to hold on to the leadership. Even so, further resignations are widely expected as the party’s internal crisis deepens.

Liberal frontbencher Andrew Wallace dismissed the potential challenge as ill-prepared and undercooked. He said Sussan Ley has not yet been given a reasonable opportunity to succeed and warned that knifing leaders sends a damaging message of disunity. Wallace claimed that a majority of the party room believes Ley deserves more time and support.