The newly appointed leader of the Liberal Party, Sussan Ley, is expected to bring a health-driven focus to the party.
After a resounding defeat in the Federal Election, the Liberal Party has gone through some major reshuffles – the largest being the appointment of MP Sussan Ley as leader.
The appointment came after a close internal election that saw the former health minister appointed as not just as the first woman to lead the Liberal Party, but also at a time where the majority of medical bodies are advocating for major reforms.
She has received praise from party members for convincing former leader Peter Dutton to abandon the criticised return-to-office policy for public servants.
Born in Nigeria and immigrating to Australia at the age of 13, Ley now represents the electorate of Farrer in rural south-western NSW.
“One hundred per cent I will be here in three years,” Sussan Ley said in a statement.
“But more than that, we will be in a competitive position.”
With her history as a Health Minister and following an election where Medicare was a major talking point, there are some who believe Ms Ley could lead policy on the current gaps in Australian healthcare.
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“I would encourage her to reflect on how she was inhibited by not being a member of the of the inner sanctum,” Dr Michael Gannon, who served as AMA president during Ley’s tenure as Health Minister, told The Medical Republic.
“She wanted to do things in health, but she wasn’t able to do them because she wasn’t at that level of seniority within the government.
“There’s huge opportunities for her to use her knowledge from the time of the portfolio to come up with some decent health policy, which you know may be a point of difference at the next election.”
As the AMA itself noted, despite the Medicare focus this election, both major parties had potential to go farther on health.
The upside is that there are now new policy opportunities ripe for the taking by either party come next election.
“It’s easy to make promises from opposition,” Dr Gannon told TMR.
“Having said that the Liberal National Party didn’t make any compelling reform narrative to the election.
“There was a missed opportunity the last election for either side of politics to put something meaningful forward.
“I would challenge Sussan to take what knowledge she has from all these years ago, put a good reform agenda forward to keep pressure on the current government, and to take something meaningful to the next election.”
