Angus Taylor calls for lower migration in first speech as new Liberal leader — as it happened

After a busy day of hidden ballots and emotional speeches, the face of the Liberal Party has once again changed.

• Angus Taylor toppled Sussan Ley to take the helm of the Liberal Party in a large majority vote 34 to 17
• Jane Hume was elected as deputy leader, defeating Ted O'Brien with 30 votes
• The responses to the result have been mixed, with Treasurer Jim Chalmers describing Taylor as having "zero credibility"
• But former prime minister Tony Abbott defended Taylor as the "best person for the job"
• The focus now turns to the Liberals policy platform, with cost of living, immigration and ditching net zero all on the agenda
• Following her defeat, Ley has announced she will resign from her seat of Farrer, setting the stage for a by-election that Taylor acknowledged would be a "tough" contest
• Pauline Hanson said that One Nation hasn't selected a candidate for an upcoming by-election, but said she has received "a lot of expressions of interest".

Thank you for following coverage of the Liberal leadership contest today.

— Cameron Carr

Pauline Hanson has called out the major parties, saying they're not properly addressing "mass migration".

When asked by reporters in Brisbane about whether a more conservative Liberal leader like Angus Taylor poses a challenge for One Nation, Hanson said "they're still on a dead horse".

"The biggest issue [since the Federal election] was about migration and mass migration. And neither party have addressed it," she said.

"You've got nearly 70 per cent plus of people who want lower immigration and nothing's been done about it. So like I said, different jockey, same dead horse."

Hanson said that One Nation hasn't selected a candidate for an upcoming by-election in Farrer, but said she has received "a lot of expressions of interest".

— Cameron Carr

Jane Hume has been asked to reflect on her comments from the May 2025 election, which sparked backlash at the time.

Hume made unsubstantiated remarks claiming Labor was using "Chinese spies", and that may have been a contributing factor to turning away undecided Chinese Australian voters.

"The comments that I made two days before the election were out of line. They were ill-considered and it was a breakfast TV program where I said a throwaway line regarding foreign interference or reported foreign interference."

She goes on to say her comments were taken out of context and weaponised against her by Labor.

"I have, in fact, apologised to those who were offended by that — they were ill-considered remarks."

— Cameron Carr

Angus Taylor has been asked about whether it will be a challenge to hold the seat of Farrer, which will be left vacant after Sussan Ley's resignation.

"We know it'll be tough," he said.

"When we get out and about around Australia — forget the polls — we see the loss of confidence there has been in the Liberal Party.

"We've got to restore that confidence."

Ley was first elected to Farrer in 2001.

— Cameron Carr

Angus Taylor has been asked by reporters about what the Liberals' immigration policy will be.

"It is clear that numbers have been too high and standards have been too low. And our policy will be for lower numbers and for higher standards," he said.

"But, crucially ... our policy will also be about putting Australians first and putting Australian values first. We want people who come to this country to believe in our core values: in democracy, in the rule of law, in our basic freedoms."

— Cameron Carr

Angus Taylor is criticising Labor, saying the government "has undermined our standard of living, and has failed to protect our way of life".

He makes references to the rising cost of living and the Bondi Beach terror attack as examples of Labor's shortcomings.

Pivoting to his own plan, the new Liberal leader says the party's priority is restoring the standard of living.

"As Liberals, we are for lower inflation, lower interest rates, and lower taxes," he said.

He goes on to say he will fight Labor's "bad" taxes — "taxes on homes, taxes on our children's future".

Taylor also indicated the Liberals oppose net zero and high levels of immigration, while ensuring defence is properly funded.

"My message to Anthony Albanese is this: We will fight every bad tax, and every reckless spending policy that drives up inflation and keeps interest rates higher for longer."

"The Liberal Party is under new leadership, and with that leadership will come change, because our country needs change for the better."

— Cameron Carr

In his maiden speech as Liberal leader, Angus Taylor said "we must look ahead and put the disagreements of the recent past behind us", looking to reform his party and win back supporters.

"It is clear we are running out of time. I won't mince words. The Liberal Party is in its worst position it has been since it was founded in 1944," he said.

Taylor acknowledged the party "got some big calls wrong", such as policies in taxation, leaving their supporters "angry".

"We're in this position because we didn't stay true to our core values ... because we stopped listening to Australians, because we were attracted to the politics of convenience rather than focusing on the politics of conviction."

— Cameron Carr

Angus Taylor and Jane Hume will make their first public addresses shortly from the Opposition party room in Canberra.

The maiden address is the Liberal Party leadership team's first opportunity to speak to voters and its membership after the toppling of Sussan Ley this morning.

Taylor and Hume have announced the press conference for 1.30pm AEDT.

— Cameron Carr

Sussan Ley's political execution has been months in the making, according to analysis by our chief political correspondent Anna Henderson.

Her decision to focus on a listening tour before making clear policy helped engineer her downfall.

Some impatient Liberal MPs and senators weren't willing to wait and felt like they were left with limited ideas to sell to voters.

They wanted stronger energy and immigration positions to prosecute, and economic blows to land on the government.

The breakup with the Nationals proved a disastrous test of Sussan Ley's leadership and political nous. But many of her supporters believe Nationals leader David Littleproud was working to help unseat her all along.

Liberal politicians are now suspicious of each other — divided and traumatised — and Angus Taylor will have to find a way to unite them.

The opinion polls test has been set for Taylor. If he doesn't turn things around in the next nine months, he could also find his leadership was a stopgap measure.

Labor's leadership is relishing the chance to have Taylor lead the Opposition, and this entire affair has meant weeks of distraction during parliamentary sittings and the estimates process, which is usually a time when the government finds itself under sustained pressure over spending and policy decisions.

— Anna Henderson

Malcolm Turnbull, who was Australia's prime minister from 2015 to 2018 has said his former party the Liberals need to appeal more to "middle Australia", saying the party must "regain its credibility" when it comes to economic management.

He also aimed at Angus Taylor, describing him as the "best qualified idiot".

"The curious thing a lot of people say about Angus Taylor is he is the best-qualified idiot they've ever met.

"What they are saying is this guy has got all of these degrees, he's got all of these qualifications and he is a Rhodes scholar — mind you they're a dime a dozen, look at me and Tony Abbott — but the bottom line is that he has not delivered the sort of positive policy agendas, the real achievements in government that you would expect from somebody with those qualifications."

When asked what he thought about the leadership moving from Sussan Ley to Taylor, he said the latter is "not the answer" for the Liberal Party's woes.

"No leader is the answer, the party must move back to the centre.

"Unfortunately, the people backing Angus ... they want to go even more to the right."

He said the pressure on the Liberals to be more "anti-immigration, anti-multiculturalism and anti-Aboriginals" will do more harm to the party's standing.

— Cameron Carr

New Liberal leader Angus Taylor has taken to social media to celebrate his win, posting a photo of himself with his deputy, Jane Hume.

"It’s an immense honour to be elected as leader of the Liberal Party," he wrote.

"I am looking forward to working with my deputy, Jane Hume to serve the Australian people."

— Miles Proust

Sussan Ley's deputy and ally Ted O'Brien, who also lost his position today, has paid tribute to his former boss.

He told the ABC he is very sad to hear she is leaving parliament.

"This has been a very tumultuous time for the Liberal Party and she has displayed absolute dignity, she's been gracious throughout it all," he said.

He goes on to say the Liberal Party has had among "the worst of its days".

O'Brien said that he's not "planning on going anywhere", but added "it's not always your choice in politics".

Speaking of his own loss today, O'Brien said everyone in the room respects the outcome and that he would "like to stay on" as shadow treasury spokesperson.

— Cameron Carr

Sussan Ley has announced she will leave parliament, triggering a by-election in her electorate of Farrer.

Sussan Ley addressing the media at Parliament House after her defeat as Liberal leader. Source: AAP / Lukas Coch

"I will be tendering my resignation to the speaker. I'm not sure what comes next. I look forward to stepping away completely and comprehensively from public life, to spend time with my family," she said.

"I want to express gratitude to the Liberal Party that I have belonged to and loved for more than half of my adult life, to the party room that elected me as their leader nine months ago, and to the Parliament of Australia that has been the most extraordinary workplace for 25 years."

She didn't have a bad word about her successor Angus Taylor in her gracious speech following the leadership spill.

— Ewa Staszewska

Former Opposition leader Sussan Ley recalls her mother's advice as she expresses gratitude for her time as leader.

"When something ends in sadness, don't dwell on the disappointment. Be grateful that you had it at all," she said.

Ley wore a brave smile as she walked out following the vote, ending nine months as the party's first female leader.

— Ewa Staszewska

Dan Tehan, who put his hand up for the deputy role, has congratulated Angus Taylor and Jane Hume on winning the leadership.

Dan Tehan unsuccessfully challenged for the deputy Liberal leadership. Source: AAP / Mick Tsikas

When asked by the ABC about what the new leadership will stand for in terms of policy, Tehan was vague.

"I have no doubt that anyone who stands for leader of the Liberal Party has a very good vision for where they want to take this nation," he said.

"And I'm not going to get ahead of Angus and Jane."

He also thanked Sussan Ley, calling her a "stalwart" for her 20 years of service to the party.

He described voting for Taylor instead of Ley as a "hard decision".

— Cameron Carr

Former Liberal leader and prime minister Tony Abbott has applauded the election of Angus Taylor, telling ABC News the next election is winnable for the Opposition.

He has made a few key points following the spill.

"The first is that he's the best person for the job. Second is that everyone should get behind him, because we need to win and be a strong Opposition," he said.

"The Liberal Party remains the best hope and better government in this country. The third point, very important, the next election is winnable."

— Cameron Carr

Former Liberal senator Hollie Hughes has called out Angus Taylor for his shifting policy positions on renewable energy, net zero and taxation.

She told ABC "it's all over the place", and called out a disruptive party room.

"The way that Sussan [Ley] was undermined from day one, if I was Angus I'd be thinking 'well I wonder if I'm going to get the same loyalty or support that I showed to Sussan'."

— Cameron Carr

Treasurer Jim Chalmers was quick to react to the new Liberal leadership.

"Angus Taylor was the most shambolic shadow treasurer in Australia's history, and now he's leader of the Liberals," he said.

"His appointment as leader of the Opposition shows the Coalition could not care less about the cost of living or the economy.

"He was the architect of their plan for higher taxes for every taxpayer, and he went to the election promising bigger deficits and more debt.

"Angus has zero credibility on the economy and neither does the bin fire that is the Coalition."

— Anna Henderson

Jane Hume has been elected the deputy leader of the Liberal Party.

Jane Hume was elected deputy Liberal leader. Source: AAP / Mick Tsikas

She won against incumbent Ted O'Brien.

It's a new leadership team, but Angus Taylor and Hume have both been ministers in Coalition governments.

For Hume, there are concerns given she ran the working from home policy that caused electoral pain at the last election.

After she claimed "Chinese spies" were working for the Labor Party during the 2025 election campaign, the government repeatedly argued the Liberal Party didn't support the Australian Chinese community.

— Anna Henderson

With Angus Taylor, a conservative traditionalist in the Liberal Party, now elected leader, the decision of who is deputy is consequential.

Jane Hume is leading the votes inside the party room now with current deputy leader Ted O'Brien and Dan Tehan still in consideration. Melissa Price received a small handful of votes and has been knocked out in the first round of voting.

— Anna Henderson