With over a decade in the political ring — and having survived several controversies in parliament — Angus Taylor is ready for his next round: challenging Sussan Ley for Liberal leadership.
Taylor ended weeks of speculation on Wednesday night when he tendered his resignation to Ley, stating he no longer had faith in the party leader.
"I'm running to be the leader of the Liberal Party because I believe that Australia is worth fighting for," the NSW MP said when announcing the move that triggered a wave of resignations from his backers.
"I believe we need strong and decisive leadership that gives Australians clarity, courage and confidence in providing a vision for the future."
Factional ally and prominent Opposition frontbencher James Paterson has publicly backed Taylor as Liberal leader, saying it was a "change or die" moment for the party.
"Angus is the smartest policy brain in the shadow cabinet, a man of courage and values," he told reporters on Thursday.
However, some episodes of Taylor's career — from 'Watergate' to the viral "good job" faux pas — continue to haunt him, and are unlikely to remain outside the spotlight as he launches his bid for the Liberals' top job.
Who is Angus Taylor?
The 59-year-old grew up in southern NSW to a fourth-generation farmer, going on to study law and economics.
Like former Liberal leaders Tony Abbott and Malcolm Turnbull, Taylor earned a Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford University, focusing on economic philosophy.
The father of four later started up several businesses in irrigation and agriculture alongside his family — ventures which would later plague him.
During his time as a consultant for McKinsey & Co, he played a key role as a go-between for New Zealand dairy farmers, leading to the launch of Fonterra, the country's largest dairy exporter.
His grandfather, William Hudson, is regarded as the father of the Snowy Mountains hydro-electric scheme.
When he was elected in the NSW seat of Hume in 2013, he was touted as a future prime minister, due to his "Kennedy-like" looks, education, business links, as well as agricultural background.
Watergate and 'well done Angus': Life in politics
Considered a conservative, Taylor became aligned with Tony Abbott and Peter Dutton early in his political career.
He was appointed to the energy and emission reduction portfolio under Scott Morrison, a move that raised eyebrows given his presence at anti-wind farm rallies.
As part of Ley's shadow cabinet, he was defence spokesperson, having also served as shadow treasurer under Peter Dutton.
Taylor came under criticism in 2019 after revelations that the federal government spent $80 million on water rights in 2017 from Eastern Australia Agriculture, a company where he was previously co-founder and director.
The Hume MP denied knowing about the sale or that his family benefited from the transaction, but the high price tag came under scrutiny. It was referred to as 'Watergate', with then-Twitter users placing water drops on their profiles.
That same year, Taylor was embroiled in 'grassgate' after it was found that he had met with officials to discuss illegal land clearing on a property partly owned by his family trust.
Taylor was later accused of using allegedly forged documents to criticise Sydney lord mayor Clover Moore in 2019 over her council's travel costs, later issuing an apology to Moore.
During the 2019 election, Taylor — energy minister at the time — was caught replying to his own Facebook post, praising himself for a job "well done" after announcing an extra 1,000 car spots at a train station in his electorate.
Fast forward to 2026, and as Taylor announced his leadership candidacy, Australians were quick to flood his comments section with the viral remark: "Fantastic. Great move. Well done, Angus."
Taylor's economic credentials were brought into question during the 2025 election campaign when he opposed Labor's income tax cuts, traditionally a Liberal issue.
Following the May election defeat, Ley initially beat Taylor in a leadership contest 29 to 25, but three of her supporters have since left the party room.
As of late afternoon Thursday, nine other Liberal Party members — including Michaelia Cash and Dan Tehan — have joined Taylor and tendered their resignations.
— with additional reporting from Australian Associated Press.
For the latest from SBS News, download our app and subscribe to our newsletter.
