Sussan Ley and her shop-worn Coalition know they face an uphill battle over the next three years.

But the physical reality of that battle will confront them this week when what’s left of the Liberal and Nationals parties return to Canberra to sit in the House of Representatives for the first time since the May 3 cataclysm.

The challenge ahead for Sussan Ley is enormous. But the first post-election poll by RPM also highlights the challenges for Anthony Albanese.Credit: The Age

There are so many Labor MPs that some of them will have to sit on the side of the chamber reserved for His Majesty’s Most Loyal Opposition.

Voters also seem to have pushed the Coalition to the periphery with its primary vote in a new Resolve Political Monitor crashing to just 29 per cent from the disastrous 32 per cent recorded at the election.

The election result was the Coalition’s worst electoral performance since Ben Chifley faced off against Bob Menzies and his new Liberal Party in 1946. The Resolve poll suggests the situation has deteriorated.

It’s harsh to say that the Coalition has looked like a bunch of headless chooks since polling day. Harsh on the chooks, that is.

The result has caused some within the Liberal Party to wonder about its........

© Brisbane Times