'We're on the way': Sussan Ley on winning back trust, personal ambition and representing the regions

Outspoken Tasmanian Liberal MP Bridget Archer has called for a "rethink" of her party's decade-long alliance with the Nationals while in opposition if the Liberal party is to win back the 13 city-based federal seats lost to the "teal" independents, the Greens and Labor at the last election.

Ms Archer said the Liberals were the "loser" of the current arrangement, while Nationals lead policy positions on issues such as climate and the proposed Voice to Parliament. The polarising former Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce being part of the Coalition deal was used in successful campaigns by independents.

Nationals leader David Littleproud has told ACM that "we're better off together", while Ms Ley, the Deputy Opposition Leader, said "of course we represent the regions" and the party is winning back trust in the cities too.

"Rural liberals are significant. There are well over 40 in the Parliament across Australia, and we meet regularly as rural liberals and we talk about rural policy," she said.

"And we know that sometimes our rural and regional policy has different lenses on it to policy that works for the cities, for example mobile black spots.

"I don't have any confidence that Labor understands about mobile black spots and you only understand about my black spots if they affect you."

But she regards the Liberal party as "representing the majority" of Australia to "govern for the greater good" as "we don't do narrow constituencies. By definition, we do big, broad, constituencies".

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Ms Ley has been tasked with improving the Liberal's standing with female voters and leading the fight to win back the inner-city seats from the independents, and not lose to any others. She is running roundtables seeking bold policy initiatives in areas such as superannuation, home ownership, financial literacy training and childcare as she pitches the Liberals can be the "party of choice for women".

"At the end, I'll say, 'just tell me what you think about us as Liberals where we might have let you down and how we can do better,' and that's very rewarding," she said.

"But I think in doing that, what we're demonstrating is that we are well and truly in their corner for them. And they will see that with the listening, they'll see that with a policy development. They've already seen that I believe with some of the markers we've had along the way.

"And I'm not underestimating the task to win back people's trust, but I think we're on the way to do that."

The Deputy Liberal Leader also spoke about her own ambition and insists the party is acting on Liberal election review recommendations to get voters back.

"I think that was an important exercise to go through and it's been a good launching pad," she said.

With the recent resignation of Karen Andrews, the deputy leader is the only female member of the Coalition frontbench who is not a Senator.

She said she is not eyeing Peter Dutton's job as leader.

"I have the ambition to be a senior member of a Dutton government whenever the election is held. Some people are saying the end of next year so I'm saying early 2025," Ms Ley said.

"Because then we can do for the Australian people, not just Peter Dutton and I, but the whole team what we know is desperately needed at this challenging time in our country's history, both in terms of national security, economic efficiency, the levels of debt and the backing the aspiration and enterprise of ordinary Australians.

"So that's my ambition. I love being, what I call myself, the vice-captain."

Ms Ley sees the weekend Liberal preselection of the "formidable" Maria Kovacic to replace the late Jim Molan in the Senate representing NSW as a key moment in the fight to get more women in the parliamentary party.

She also expects she will help the Liberals push back into the cities.

"Maria will help us win in the cities because she is not just a community leader in Western Sydney, she is an accomplished businesswoman with more than 20 years of experience across the commercial, public and not for profit sectors," she said.

"I'm very proud of what we present as a team of Liberal Party members to the Australian public and yes, there's work to do, but we're up for it."

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