Sussan Ley fronts the media after the Liberal Party leadership spill on February 13.
Sussan Ley resigned as the Member for Farrer last Friday morning with a thank you to the people of Farrer for the honour of representing them for 25 years.
Hold tight - we’re checking permissions before loading more content
Ms Ley declined to return to Parliament for a valedictory speech and instead said she was confident her efforts and achievements over that time would speak for themselves.
Ms Ley was a Minister in four Coalition governments and elected Leader of the Liberal Party after its voter collapse at the last election.
“Naturally, I am sad to no longer represent my electorate of Farrer,” she said.
“I love the wide western plains of New South Wales, the country towns along the Murray and Murrumbidgee Rivers and the thriving cities of Albury and Griffith; communities that it has been my enormous privilege to serve for almost 25 years.
“At one stage the western edge of Farrer was the entire New South Wales-South Australian border, touching Queensland at Camerons Corner.
“I certainly appreciated being able to fly myself in a light plane, often into remote airstrips.”
Ms Ley acknowledged the uniqueness of every community in Farrer where she said one size does not fit all.
“I came to know the electorate as a candidate, towing the caravan I lived in when I worked in the shearing sheds, up and down the Murray River,” she said.
“I became attached to the landscapes and lifestyles of this part of Australia and was never prouder than when speaking up for our communities in the national Parliament.
“Farming families battling fires, dust storms, drought and low irrigation allocations; small business owners breathing activity into quiet streets and local volunteers asking for so little but doing so much.
“And always, always, the wonderful women of western New South Wales; the ones who put themselves last without ever losing heart.
“I want to acknowledge their strength, their courage, and their sheer, bloody mindedness when fighting for the people they love and the future they deserve.”
Sussan Ley is looking forward to a more private life where she can spend time with her family and her passion for flying.
Ms Ley is the first woman to lead a Federal opposition in Australia, elected by colleagues after the party’s worst defeat in 81 years.
She said it was a milestone for all women to be proud of and hoped it would pave the way for the next woman to be elected and to succeed.
“It will be for the commentators and historians to measure the period of my leadership,” she said.
“For me, I have never lost the feeling I had as a young girl, migrating to Australia, stepping off the plane after travelling halfway round the world. A big sky, a big country, a place to dream your biggest dreams.”
23°C