The future of the centre-right in Australia may depend on whether Sussan Ley can weather the current storm.

The Liberal Party’s historic loss in the 2025 federal election marked a seismic shift in Australia’s political landscape. Much of the blame can be traced to the Coalition’s increasingly hardline stance, a movement toward ideological conservatism that echoed US Republicanism and, in the eyes of many, made the party appear as ‘Trump-lite’. Emboldened by right-wing think-tanks and sympathetic media outlets, Coalition figures pushed policies such as big tax cuts for the wealthy, cuts to the public service and the endorsement of nuclear energy, an agenda that paralleled the post-2016 Republican platform.

Initially, this agenda appeared to energise the conservative base. But as Donald Trump’s legal troubles, autocratic behaviour and policy failures dominated international headlines, this alignment became politically toxic. Canada’s Conservative Party experienced a similar backlash when it leaned into Trumpian populism alienating moderates and suburban voters. In Australia, the results were devastating: the Coalition was abandoned by urban electorates and key demographics, particularly........

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