Overview

• In profiles for The Australian Women’s Weeklynd 9News, LeLey revealed she once set up camp on a dark road in central New South Wales and drew a legally purchased unloaded rifle when a motorbike rider threatened her.
• She quoted a line attributed to a Clint Eastwood movie—“I’m here with my tall skinny mate”—to convince the rider to leave without using the weapon.
• Immediately after the encounter she drove directly to Thargomindah with her heart still pounding.
• Ley’s public disclosure of the episode emphasizes her personal resilience and contrasts with the guarded privacy stance of her predecessor Peter Dutton.
• The anecdote supports her broader agenda of a collaborative bottom-up policy overhaul and renewed focus on women’s safety and gender balance within the Liberal Party.