Angus Taylor to challenge Sussan Ley; Jane Hume to run for deputy leader

Liberal senator Sarah Henderson, who has publicly backed Angus Taylor for leader and Jane Hume for deputy, has refuted claims that their performance at the last election would open the Coalition to attacks from Labor.

Many have blamed a part of the Coalition’s massive election loss on Taylor’s economic policies, and Hume was criticised for comments she made about “Chinese spies” which were seen to alienate diverse communities in marginal electorates.

“I don’t accept that because the decisions that were made by leadership, were made by us as a party, and so we’ve all got to take responsibility for the election result,” Henderson told journalists at Parliament House.

“We’ve all got to do better. And I do think that Angus and Jane have the experience they have, you know, have a great track record, they have the courage, they have the conviction.”

“Together, I think we can be a very powerful force, but we do not take this for granted. This is embarrassing. This is a terrible situation we are in, and we know that it is absolutely urgent that we have to turn things around very, very quickly, as I say, in the best interest of the Australian people.”