From an episode of Future PerfectPresented by Dylan Bird

Interview

Future Perfect: Sean Kelly on Liberal Party leadership change

Author and former advisor to Julia Gillard and Kevin Rudd Sean Kelly discusses the ousting of Sussan Ley as Liberal leader, just nine months after she took on the job following the Coalition's disastrous election result in 2025. He outlines the challenges facing new leader Angus Taylor and deputy Jane Hume given their patchy records as front benchers, and the realignment of right-wing politics amid surging support for One Nation, while also considering what it all might mean for Labor as the government flirts with tax reform ahead of the May budget.

“It is an existential moment for the Liberal Party...They have two sets of voters they need to win back - [those] they’ve been losing to One Nation, and on their left they have the voters they’ve been losing to the ‘Teals’, and it seems impossible to me that you can win both of those sets of voters back.”

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Listen to Future Perfect: Sean Kelly on Liberal Party leadership change19:1216 February 2026