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A leadership election of theLiberal Party of Australia was held on 30 May 2022,[1] following the defeat of theScott Morrisongovernment at the2022 federal election and the resignation of Morrison as party leader.[2] The newly elected leader would becomeLeader of the Opposition to theLabor Partygovernment ofAnthony Albanese. A separateleadership spill for the Liberal Party'sCoalition partnerNational Party was also held on the same day.
Peter Dutton was elected unopposed as leader, whileSussan Ley was elected unopposed as deputy leader.[3] Dutton, who is fromQueensland, is the first leader outside ofNew South Wales to lead the Liberal Party sinceAlexander Downer in 1995 fromSouth Australia.Simon Birmingham was re-elected leader of the Liberal Party in the Senate.[4][5]
Dutton is only the second Liberal leader after Downer outside of New South Wales and Victoria. Notwithstanding the party's inaugural leader and deputy leader Robert Menzies and Eric Harrison who had continued with their leadership positions from the previousUnited Australia Party, the election of Dutton as leader and Ley as his deputy marks the first time that both a new leader and new deputy leader were elected unopposed simultaneously.
After the governingLiberal–National coalition lost power at the 2022 federal election,Prime MinisterScott Morrison announced his resignation as Liberal leader on election night.[6] He had led the party since 2018 and been prime minister sinceMalcolm Turnbull opted not to contest the second of twoleadership spills in 2018.[7]
Meanwhile, deputy leader and outgoing TreasurerJosh Frydenberg lost his seat ofKooyong in the election, leaving the position open for election.[8] He was considered a likely successor to Morrison if he had been re-elected to Parliament.[9]
Peter Dutton,Minister for Defence during the Morrison government, has been seen as thefront runner to lead the Liberal Party following Morrison's resignation and Frydenberg's defeat.[10][11]
OutgoingMinister for Industry, Energy and Emissions ReductionAngus Taylor,Minister for Home AffairsKaren Andrews,Minister for Trade, Tourism and InvestmentDan Tehan, and Tasmanian MPBridget Archer have also been posited as potential candidates for the leadership.[12][13]
Speculated candidates for the deputy leadership includedMinister for the EnvironmentSussan Ley andMinister for Families and Social ServicesAnne Ruston.[14][15]
| Candidate | Electorate | Faction | Announced | Portfolio(s) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Peter Dutton | Dickson (Qld.) | National Right | 26 May 2022[16] |
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| Candidate | Electorate | Faction | Announced | Portfolio(s) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Sussan Ley | Farrer (NSW) | Moderate[20] | 27 May 2022[21] |
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Due to Dutton being a staunchconservative from theRight faction of the Liberal Party, Dutton's election as leader of the Liberal Party was received negatively by many.
Labor ministerTanya Plibersek compared Dutton toLord Voldemort. In a radio interview, she stated:
"I think there will be a lot of children who have watched a lot ofHarry Potter films who will be very frightened of what they are seeing on TV at night. I am saying he looks a bit like Voldemort. We will see whether he can do what he promised he would do when he was last running for leader, which is smile more."[22]
Plibersek later apologised. In a radio interview, Dutton called the claims "unfortunate" but "water off a duck's back", also noting that he wasn't "bald by choice" and was diagnosed with askin condition several years ago.[22] Plibersek's apology was welcomed by newly electedPrime MinisterAnthony Albanese in an interview withABC News.[22]
Outgoing leaderScott Morrison andModerate faction leaderSimon Birmingham congratulated the party's new leadership team.[23]
Western Australian PremierMark McGowan referred to Dutton as an "extremist" and criticised his election as Liberal leader. He stated:
"He's an extremist and I don't think he fits with modern Australia at all, and he doesn't seem to listen, he's extremely conservative. I actually don't think he's that smart, I've seen him present on things I don't really pick up, there's much there, as opposed to Scott Morrison, who is a clever guy. I don't pick up that Peter Dutton is fit to be Prime Minister."[24]