Peter Dutton has been unopposed as the leader of the Liberal Party, while David Littleproud has ousted Barnaby Joyce to lead the Nationals.
Leaders take the helm when the Coalition enters opposition for the first time since 2013 and was shaken by an electoral bloodbath that saw several high-ranking Liberal MPs removed from previously safe seats.
Dutton succeeds former Prime Minister Scott Morrison, with Sussan Ley elected – also unopposed – as the new deputy Liberal leader.
Peter Dutton and MP Sussan Ley speak after winning Liberal leadership positions. (Alex Ellinghausen)
Dutton was not expected to face any rival, with his main potential opponent, former treasurer Josh Frydenberg, losing his Kooyong seat in the May 21 election.
“We live in the best country in the world,” he said after winning the contest.
“I want our country to support the aspiration and reward hard work, take care of those Australians who, in the short or long term, cannot take care of themselves.
“We have a rich and proud indigenous heritage and a history of migrants the envy of the world.”
Dutton vowed to keep the country safe, the economy strong and that the Coalition will not be a “Labor light”.
He said he “made a mistake” in boycotting the apology to Indigenous Australians in 2008.
“That was because of my own background and experience,” he said.
“Many of you have lived in regional areas and many of you have not. I worked in Townsville.
“I remember going to a lot of cases of domestic violence, especially with indigenous communities, and for me at the time, I thought we should apologize when the problems were resolved and not resolved.
“There are boys and girls in some parts of our country in 2022, this year, who slept last night in a container to spend the hours of darkness in indigenous communities and it is completely unacceptable.”
New Liberal leader Peter Dutton gives his first press conference at the helm of the party. (new)
Dutton served in the governments of Howard, Abbott, Turnbull, and Morrison.
“My greatest honor was to represent the men and women of the Australian Defense Force,” he said of his recent stint as Minister of Defense.
“My parents worked hard for every dollar and we didn’t have a good financial situation. I started working part-time in an after-school butcher’s shop until I started college.
“I saved and bought a house when I was 19 and built a business out of nothing to employ 40 people.
“I was a police officer for 10 years and I have dedicated my working life to public service and I am passionate about protecting children and women, especially protection from sexual assault and harassment.”
Dutton was also asked why he did not intervene in the case of a Tamil family in Biloela while talking about his time as immigration minister.
One of Labor’s first acts in office was to allow the Murugappan family to return home to Queensland after years of detention and legal limbo.
“There are hundreds of cases in which I acted out of compassion in relation to immigration policies. The immigration minister is one of the most difficult jobs in government,” he said.
“I have no complaints against the family. I have no complaints against the family and, as I said, I acted compassionately in hundreds of cases that did not appear in the media.”
Liberal Deputy Leader Sussan Ley speaking at the Canberra Parliament. (Alex Ellinghausen)
Liberal Party “will listen to women”
Ley said the party would listen to the concerns of women after the election defeat.
“I recognize that the women didn’t support us that they might have supported us before,” she said.
“There were a lot of women, including my electorate, who were generally happy with the government’s performance.
“We listened to the disappointment notes among the endorsement notes.
“We are listening and ready to meet you and talk about important issues.”
Morrison congratulated the two new leaders, saying they were an “incredibly experienced and well-versed” team.
“I think they’re going to do an amazing job,” he said.
Dutton thanked Morrison and his family for “the tremendous contribution they have made not only to our country but to the Liberal Party.”
Littleproud’s “proudest day.”
Littleproud today won Joyce’s first place in a three-way contest, with Victorian MP Darren Chester also vying for the lead.
Littleproud says he will build on the experience of former Deputy Prime Ministers Joyce and Michael McCormack as leaders.
“The legacy that both Barnaby and Michael have left behind is one that can be seen indelibly every day in regional and rural Australia and that is why they should be deeply proud,” he said.
“And one that I have to build, and my team has to build as a National Party.”
Perin Davey has been elected deputy chairman of the party and Bridget McKenzie will be the leader in the Senate.
Littleproud described them as “two powerful, bright and articulate women” and said the party was “moving forward”.
“The diversity of our room means we can draw on not only men, but the strength of these women who unite the experience of the regions,” she said.
Joyce was optimistic that he would keep the Nationals top job this morning.
When asked if he thought he had the numbers to retain the lead, Joyce told 9News that he was “very optimistic” about the vote and that “the people in the room will decide.”
When asked who he thinks would be his best replacement, Joyce said, “I don’t know. Jesus? Muhammad? That’s a very good question.”
National MP David Littleproud arrives in Parliament ahead of the party hall meeting. (Alex Ellinghausen)
Littleproud, a former agribusiness banker, has been the deputy for Maranoa’s Queensland headquarters since 2016.
He served on the Turnbull and Morrison governments as Minister of Agriculture, as well as Minister of Water Resources and Minister of Northern Australia.
The 45-year-old has been in the Nationals’ leadership speculation in the past, and became a deputy in 2020.
He recorded a small change of 0.3% against him in Maranoa on May 21, but still won his career comfortably, with 72.2% of the two-party preferential vote.
Littleproud is considered more sensitive to climate policy than many of his colleagues, and while in government he worked to save the Murray Darling Basin Plan and improve federal biodiversity management.
“We are making progress on the climate. We have made that commitment and the Australian economy is moving forward on that,” he said today.
He promised to “bring common sense to Canberra” and put Australians and regional farmers at the center of the conversation.
“My job is to protect regional and rural Australia,” he said.
“I don’t think regional and rural Australia is against reducing emissions.
“We need to get back to basics, and that’s about reducing emissions.”
In 2017 he voted against legalizing same-sex marriage, but said his vote would be determined by the majority opinion of his electorate.
Maranoa voters voted against marital equality with a 56.1% majority.
Its Liberal and Labor headquarters tell two different stories
The workers continue with the work of governing
The new government says it is continuing its work to inspect the nation’s balance sheets, having inherited $ 1 trillion in debt.
Finance Minister Katy Gallagher is predicting spending cuts, but says Labor’s budget will continue to be slow to apply to the “cost of living” as prices rise.
“We need an honest conversation about that,” he said.
“We can’t pretend they won’t come, and we can’t pretend the budget is in good shape and able to absorb it.”
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will present his full ministry and cabinet later this week.