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Scott Buchholz, Opposition skills and training spokesman, warned against mistaking Sussan Ley’s “feminine politeness for weakness.” The Queensland MP also criticized Peter Dutton’s previous leadership as “authoritarian” and reacted to comments made by Victorian Liberal senator Sarah Henderson earlier today.
“I see Sussan doing incredible things, given the circumstances that she’s been having to do with it. I think what the party’s struggling with is the style of leadership that Susan brings.”
Buchholz explained the party's shift from authoritarian leadership under Dutton to a more consultative style under Ley. He emphasized that these are simply "different styles of leadership."
“Don’t mistake her feminine politeness for weakness. We have come from a previous leadership style of authoritarian [under Dutton] to now a consultative, and some people mistake that, but there are just different styles of leadership.”
After being informed about Henderson’s remarks on Ley’s leadership, Buchholz labeled them as “career-limiting comments.” He highlighted the party’s current state as one of grief following the May election loss and stressed the need for time to recover.
A busy hour in Melbourne with Alexander Darling taking over live updates from Kayla Olaya.
The Liberal party is navigating leadership style challenges and internal tensions while recovering from recent electoral defeat, emphasizing the need for patience and healing.