Ley Retains Full Coalition Support Despite Lingering Leadership Speculation, Senior Liberal Says
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Opposition Leader Sussan Ley commands unanimous support from the federal Coalition and will lead the Liberal Party to the next election despite persistent media speculation about potential leadership challenges, a senior Liberal senator declared Tuesday in a forceful endorsement designed to quell internal party tensions.
Senator Jonathon Duniam delivered an emphatic vote of confidence in Ley’s leadership during a Sky News interview, stating he supports the Opposition Leader “100 percent” and dismissing recent reports of discontent within Coalition ranks as journalists soliciting opinions from inevitable critics.
“She’ll be there at the next election. She’ll be leading the party,” Duniam told Sky News First Edition when asked directly whether he supports Ley remaining in her role. The unequivocal statement comes as the Liberal Party navigates leadership turmoil in its Victorian and New South Wales state branches.
Leadership speculation intensified following the Coalition’s recent resolution of its contentious net zero emissions target, with some media reports suggesting unnamed colleagues were switching support to Shadow Defence Minister Angus Taylor (National, Hume, NSW) or other potential contenders.
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However, Duniam characterized such reports as overblown distractions from the Coalition’s policy development work, particularly on migration reform and economic management.
“Can I tell you, I think it’s much ado about nothing, frankly,” Duniam said. “If journalists ring up people and ask, there will probably be some who will offer an opinion at any point in the electoral cycle, no matter how popular a leader happens to be.”
The senator emphasized that Ley personally commissioned him to develop the Coalition’s migration policy, demonstrating her active leadership in shaping opposition policy ahead of the next federal election.
“She’s asked me to get on with the migration job and that’s what I’m doing,” he stated, noting that Ley stood alongside him at a press conference days earlier where they outlined the Coalition’s forward policy direction.
Duniam credited Ley with successfully brokering the Coalition’s net zero climate position, which has unified the Liberal and National parties after months of internal debate over emissions reduction targets and timelines.
“She’s the one who landed this position for us. She is our leader. I support her. She’ll be our leader at the next election,” he said emphatically.
The senator’s strong endorsement reflects a coordinated effort by senior Coalition figures to project unity following the resolution of climate policy divisions. The net zero agreement, while controversial among some conservative Coalition members, removed a persistent source of internal friction that had dominated media coverage.
Duniam’s comments followed his earlier statement to AM Agenda host Andrew Clennell, where he affirmed standing with Ley at a press conference to map out the Coalition’s policy roadmap moving forward.
“Frankly speaking, the majority, if not all of my colleagues, are just committed to getting on with the job now,” Duniam said. “We’ve settled net zero. We have to get on with the rest of it now, and part of that is going to be the immigration policy.”
The senator acknowledged that Victorian and New South Wales Liberal branches face separate leadership challenges at the state level, but drew a clear distinction between state political dynamics and federal Coalition stability.
Victorian Opposition Leader Brad Batton has recently received a significant boost in opinion polling, leading Duniam to question the logic of any leadership change at the state level given improved electoral prospects.
“I heard others talk about the fact that they just have to get a policy offering that Victorians can get behind. Go out and sell it,” he said regarding Victorian Liberals. “This whole question of leadership, frankly, is a distraction.”
Duniam urged Victorian Liberals to unite behind defeating the Allan Labor government, which he described as “the worst government in the country.”
“A government is only as good as its opposition and that government absolutely needs to be taken down,” he said. “I hope the Libs there get their act together and take down that ridiculous Allan government.”
For New South Wales Liberals, where leadership questions have emerged around state party leadership, Duniam offered similar advice focused on policy development rather than internal positioning.
“Do what you have to do and get on with it,” he said, suggesting state branches resolve leadership questions quickly to focus on challenging Labor governments.
The senator’s intervention represents the latest effort by Coalition figures to contain speculation about federal leadership, which has occasionally flared since Ley assumed the Opposition leadership. Party insiders note that leadership discussions typically emerge during difficult policy debates, making the recent net zero resolution a potential flashpoint for renewed speculation.
However, Duniam’s emphatic support suggests senior Liberals are closing ranks behind Ley as the party pivots toward election preparation mode, with migration policy, economic management, and cost of living pressures emerging as key battlegrounds.
The Opposition Leader faces the challenge of maintaining unity across the Liberal-National Coalition while developing differentiated policy positions on immigration, climate, housing, and economic management ahead of an election expected within the next year.
Ley, who represents the regional New South Wales electorate of Farrer, assumed the Liberal leadership following the party’s previous leadership transition. She holds dual responsibilities as Opposition Leader and Shadow Minister for the Public Service.
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