Sussan Ley facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sussan Ley
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Official portrait, 2020
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| Leader of the Opposition | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office 13 May 2025 |
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| Prime Minister | Anthony Albanese | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Deputy | Ted O'Brien | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Peter Dutton | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 16th Leader of the Liberal Party | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office 13 May 2025 |
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| Deputy | Ted O'Brien | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Peter Dutton | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Deputy Leader of the Opposition | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 30 May 2022 – 13 May 2025 |
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| Leader | Peter Dutton | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Richard Marles | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Ted O'Brien | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 30 May 2022 – 13 May 2025 |
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| Leader | Peter Dutton Herself (acting) |
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| Preceded by | Josh Frydenberg | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Ted O'Brien | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Member of the Australian Parliament for Farrer |
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| Assumed office 10 November 2001 |
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| Preceded by | Tim Fischer | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born |
Susan Penelope Braybrooks
14 December 1961 Kano, Northern Region, Nigeria |
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| Political party | Liberal (since 1994) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse |
John Ley
(m. 1987; div. 2004) |
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| Children | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Residences | Albury, New South Wales, Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | La Trobe University University of New South Wales Charles Sturt University |
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| Occupation | Aircraft pilot, taxation officer | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sussan Ley (born 14 December 1961) is an Australian politician. She is currently the Leader of the Opposition and the leader of the Liberal Party. She became the first woman to hold either of these important roles in May 2025. Before becoming leader, she was the Deputy Leader of the Opposition and the deputy leader of the Liberal Party.
Sussan Ley has also served as a minister in the Australian government. She was part of the Cabinet under Prime Ministers Tony Abbott, Malcolm Turnbull, and Scott Morrison. She also worked as a parliamentary secretary in the Howard government.
Ley was born in Nigeria to English parents. She lived in the United Arab Emirates and England before moving to Australia as a teenager. Before she entered politics, she worked as a commercial pilot, a farmer, and a public servant in Albury, New South Wales. She was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2001, representing the area of Farrer.
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Early Life and Education
Sussan Ley was born on 14 December 1961 in Kano, Nigeria. Her parents, Edgar and Angela Braybrooks, were from England. When she was one year old, her family moved to the Trucial States (now the United Arab Emirates). Her father worked there as a British intelligence officer.
Ley went to boarding school in England until she was 13. Then, her family moved to Australia. They first bought a farm in Toowoomba, Queensland, but sold it quickly. They then moved to Canberra, where her father worked for the Australian Federal Police (AFP).
School and University
Sussan Ley went to Campbell High School and Dickson College. She studied at La Trobe University, the University of New South Wales, and Charles Sturt University. She has master's degrees in taxation and accountancy. Her grandfather was a Church of England minister.
Ley once said she changed her name from Susan to Sussan because of numerology. However, in a 2025 interview, she explained she added the extra "s" as a rebellious teenager to annoy her family.
Before Politics
When Ley was 19, she started flight school. She earned her commercial pilot's licence at age 20. She worked as a waitress and a department store cleaner. She also trained to be an air traffic controller, but did not pass the final exam.
Later, she became a commercial pilot, a farmer, and a cook for sheep shearers. From 1995 to 2001, she was the Director of Technical Training at the Australian Taxation Office in Albury. She then entered politics.
Political Journey
Sussan Ley joined the Liberal Party in 1994. She was elected to the House of Representatives in the 2001 election. She won the seat of Farrer in New South Wales. This happened after the former National Party leader, Tim Fischer, retired. Ley won against the Nationals candidate by a very small number of votes.
At the time of her election, she lived in Old Tallangatta, Victoria. She had recently tried to become the Liberal candidate for the Victorian seat of Indi but was not chosen. During her campaign, she used a large caravan painted in Liberal blue.
Early Roles in Government
In the Howard government, Sussan Ley was appointed Parliamentary Secretary for Children and Youth Affairs in 2004. In 2006, she became Parliamentary Secretary for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.
Time in Opposition
After the 2007 election, when the Liberal Party was not in power, Ley became a Shadow Minister. She was the Shadow Minister for Housing and Shadow Minister for Status of Women. Later, she became Shadow Minister for Customs and Justice.
When Tony Abbott became the Opposition Leader in 2009, Ley was given the role of Shadow Assistant Treasurer. After the 2010 election, she became Shadow Minister for Employment Participation and Shadow Minister for Childcare and Early Childhood Learning.
Ministerial Roles (2013–2018)
In September 2013, after the Coalition won the 2013 federal election, Ley became Assistant Minister for Education. Her responsibilities included childcare. In December 2014, she was promoted to the Cabinet. She became the Minister for Health and Minister for Sport. In September 2015, she also became Minister for Aged Care.
In January 2017, Ley resigned from her ministerial roles. This followed a public discussion about her travel expenses. She returned to the ministry in August 2018. At that time, Scott Morrison became Prime Minister. She then served as Assistant Minister for Regional Development and Territories. Later, she became the Minister for the Environment.
Environment Minister (2019–2022)
As Environment Minister, Ley made some important decisions. In March 2022, she won an appeal in the Federal Court. The court had previously ruled that she had a "duty of care" to children regarding climate change when approving coal mines.
Also in March 2022, Ley approved a decision to remove 176 out of 185 recovery plans. These plans were designed to protect threatened species and habitats. This decision was made despite many people disagreeing with it.
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Deputy Leader of the Opposition (2022–2025)
After the Coalition lost the 2022 election, Sussan Ley was elected unopposed as the Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party on 30 May 2022.
In July 2022, the new Environment Minister, Tanya Plibersek, said that Ley had not released a document. This document, given to the previous government in December 2021, described the poor health of Australia's environment.
In August 2022, Ley made a statement about electric vehicles. She said that no one in the world was making an electric ute (a type of pickup truck). She also said that even if they were, it would be too expensive. Later, a spokesperson clarified that she meant electric utes were not yet widely available or affordable in Australia for rural use.
In March 2023, Ley dressed up as Tina Turner in Parliament. This was to help raise money for cancer research.
Leader of the Opposition (2025–Present)
After the 2025 federal election, the Liberal Party leader, Peter Dutton, lost his seat in Parliament. This meant Sussan Ley became the acting leader of the Liberal Party. She then won the party's leadership election, becoming the official leader.
Sussan Ley is the first woman to lead the Liberal Party. She is also the first woman to serve as the Leader of the Opposition at the federal level in Australia. At 63, she is also the oldest person to become Leader of the Opposition for the first time since 1960.
On 20 May 2025, the federal Coalition, which is an alliance between the Liberal and National parties, temporarily ended due to policy disagreements. However, eight days later, on 28 May, the two parties agreed to form the coalition again. Ley then announced her shadow cabinet, which is like a team of opposition ministers. It includes 16 Liberal members and 5 National members. Ted O'Brien is the Deputy Leader and Shadow Treasurer.
Political Views
Sussan Ley is considered a member of the moderate group within the Liberal Party. This means her views are generally more central than those of other groups in the party.
Ley identifies as a feminist, meaning she supports equal rights for women. She is also a republican. This means she believes Australia should have its own head of state, rather than the British monarch. In a 2022 interview, she said that the monarchy is "definitely neither relevant or elegant to my children." In 2017, Ley voted to support legalizing same-sex marriage in Australia.
In 2011, Ley supported the idea of Palestine joining the United Nations. She was also part of a group of politicians who supported Palestine. In June 2024, Ley criticized another politician for supporting Palestine during a debate about the Gaza war.
In May 2018, Ley introduced a bill to ban the live export of sheep. However, in 2023, she changed her position and stated her support for the sheep live export industry.
In 2023, Ley supported the "No" vote in the 2023 Australian Indigenous Voice referendum. This referendum was about changing the Australian Constitution to create an Indigenous Voice to Parliament.
Ley has also shown support for Elon Musk. In 2025, during Australia Day celebrations, she compared the British colonization of Australia to Musk's plans for the colonisation of Mars. In 2024, Ley said she was "disappointed" in Musk but supported the eSafety commissioner, saying that social media platforms should follow Australian laws.
Personal Life
Sussan Ley met John Ley while working with livestock from the air in south-west Queensland. They married in 1987 and had three children. They lived on her husband's family farm in north-east Victoria. They divorced in 2004. Ley has several grandchildren who live on the NSW Central Coast. She lives in Albury and owns investment properties there and on the Gold Coast.
Ley is a vegetarian. She is also a supporter of the Sydney Swans Australian rules football club.
Ley's mother, Angela Braybrooks, passed away on 17 May 2025. She had been living in an aged care home in Albury, New South Wales.
See also
In Spanish: Sussan Ley para niños
