Overview

• Sussan Ley, formerly deputy leader, has been chosen to lead Australia's Liberal Party, succeeding Peter Dutton after the coalition's devastating loss in the May 3 election.
• This marks the first time in the 80-year history of the conservative coalition that a woman has been elected as its leader.
• The coalition lost nearly half its parliamentary seats in the election, which handed Labor’s Anthony Albanese a second term as prime minister.
• Ley's leadership reflects a victory for the party's moderate faction over the Trump-aligned right wing, which had pushed for a more radical direction.
• Her leadership tenure comes with challenges, including overcoming past controversies like her 2017 resignation over a taxpayer-funded travel scandal and rebuilding the party’s credibility.