Hanson’s surge is just a protest vote? The one notion that imperils Liberals

March 2, 2026 — 5:00am

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On Friday, former Liberal leader Sussan Ley resigned from the parliament. Ley declared: “I welcome the Coalition’s immediate re-adoption of many of [my] directions and policies in recent days and weeks.”

Ley was reaching a little. She referred to the “clear directions” set on “tax, industrial relations, energy, national security and families” – but for the most part, because she had not actually announced much policy, “directions” were all they had ever been.

Labor frontbencher Murray Watt made the point: Ley had “belled the cat” on the fact the leader had changed but policies hadn’t. Labor’s line was predictable but rung true because a similar point was made even before Angus Taylor got the job: what exactly was he offering that Ley hadn’t offered?

The problem goes back further. What did Ley offer, in the end, that Peter Dutton had not offered? And how was Dutton, in turn, different from Scott Morrison? There are personality differences. But on policy we are talking about shadings rather than sharp shifts. This is true even on climate: net zero via uninvented technologies (Morrison), nuclear (Dutton) and opposing net zero (Ley and Taylor) are just variations on how to avoid acting.

Perhaps rapid change will prod Taylor in new directions. The climate is getting worse. AI is advancing.........

© The Sydney Morning Herald