Sassan Ray has made history as Australia’s first female opposition leader, successfully defeating Angus Taylor in a competitive liberal leadership contest.
In a meeting on Tuesday morning at the Capitol, liberal lawmakers gathered to select new leadership after a disappointing performance in the federal election on May 3.
Ray, who previously served as the environment and health minister and has been a member of Congress since 2001, is currently the deputy leader of the Liberal Party under Dutton.
At 63, she is now the oldest woman in the party’s 80-year history, having held the position of Shadow Treasurer and secured 25 votes. Notably, she is the first opposition leader from a regional background since the 1990s.
Ray is recognized as one of Canberra’s longest-serving female lawmakers.
Results were announced by Chief Opposition Whip Meliss Price shortly after 10:15 am.
Ted O’Brien, the former Energy spokesman, has been appointed as her lieutenant, defeating Queensland representative Phil Thompson, who also contested for the position. O’Brien received 38 votes to Thompson’s 16.
Jacinta Nanpijinpa Price, who had initially indicated she would support Taylor, chose not to run after Taylor’s loss in the leadership vote.
Born in Kano, Nigeria, Ray represents the Farah seat in regional New South Wales. She has a background in wool and beef farming as well as experience in the tax office.
A trained pilot, Ray became a member of the Liberals in 1994 and has been overseeing a portfolio focused on industry and small businesses since 2022.
Her father, a British intelligence agent, moved the family to Australia in the 1970s. Ray, who is a mother of three and grandmother of six, has previously mentioned a brief punk rock phase in the 1980s, during which she even added an “S” to her name in her twenties.
Despite her challenges, studying while raising children, she completed a bachelor’s degree in economics and a master’s in tax and accounting.
Ray served under past leaders Tony Abbott, Malcolm Turnbull, and Scott Morrison but resigned from her cabinet position in 2017 due to a scandal involving official travel and real estate purchases in Gold Coast.
Later today, Ray will address the media at her Congress office.
Senator Nampijinpa Price expressed her disappointment with the vote but emphasized her respect for the decision. She has committed to supporting the rebuilding of the Liberal Party.
“For the Union to offer hope and a clear path for our nation, we must prioritize unity within ourselves more than ever,” she stated.
