New top Liberal doubles down on anti-immigration stance

Grace Crivellaro and Allanah Sciberras | February 15, 2026

The freshly minted Liberal leader has doubled down on plans for a hardline immigration policy, pledging to cut migrant numbers and focus on those who reject Australian values.

But Angus Taylor has offered few details of how the coalition he now leads will deliver on the promise to weed out those who “reject our way of life”.

The new opposition leader, who toppled Sussan Ley in a partyroom vote on Friday, has been laying out his plan for the adrift Liberals as the conservative party bleeds votes to the anti-immigration One Nation.

Mr Taylor and deputy Jane Hume have been quick to vow to lower taxes, focus on housing affordability and take “green ideology” out of energy policies.

But the leaders have also been vocal on immigration, saying that migrant numbers needed to be driven down.

“Standards have been too low, numbers have been too high and we haven’t explicitly shut the door on people who reject our way of life, who don’t believe in our core values,” Mr Taylor told Sky News on Sunday.

High migration put stress on housing and infrastructure, he added, suggesting intelligence agencies could play a greater role in assessing would-be residents.

“It’s important … they do assess whether or not these people have demonstrated in the past that they reject our way of life or whether they want to bring the hate and violence from another place,” Mr Taylor said.

But even with an injection of new leadership energy, the party finds itself in a difficult position, pollster Kos Samaras said.

The Liberals faced the same challenges as those present under Ms Ley, including the loss of support among most voter groups.

Mr Samaras said some Gen X and right-wing cohorts who formerly voted for the Liberals were rejecting the established centre-right political party, while progressive voters and women were also being driven away.

“Angus Taylor cannot be ultra conservative on certain issues and then try to pretend he can talk to progressive Melbourne and Sydney,” he told AAP.

“He’s going to get wedged as Sussan Ley was wedged.”

The founder of a key Liberal women’s network has quit her organisation and the party two days after its first female leader was turfed out in the leadership spill.

Charlotte Mortlock founded Hilma’s Network in 2021 to boost female representation in the Liberal party.

She worked on the proposal to have gender quotas in the party, which was recently dumped by the NSW branch.

“Due to recent events I have decided there are other ways I can support women and Australia,” Ms Mortlock said.

“I have decided the time has come for me to step down as executive director of Hilma’s Network and I have also relinquished my Liberal Party membership.”

Mr Taylor toppled Ms Ley 34 votes to 17 in the ballot, ending her tenure after only nine months.

Shortly after the spill, Ms Ley revealed she would spend the coming weeks in her regional NSW electorate of Farrer before resigning from parliament.

A by-election will then be needed to choose a new MP for Farrer in what looms as a significant early test for Mr Taylor.

He will need to prove he can stave off challenges from independents and One Nation, which has been polling above the coalition.