Transcript – Doorstop Interview, Australian Parliament House, Canberra - 9 February 2026

The Hon Alex Hawke MP
Shadow Minister for Industry and Innovation
Manager of Opposition Business in the House

Transcript

Doorstop interview, APH

9 February 2026

Topics: Liberal Party, Newspoll

E&OE…

Journalist
Does Sussan Ley have the support of the party room?

Alex Hawke
Well, obviously she does and everybody’s saying that in the whole party room.

Journalist
Everyone’s saying that?

Alex Hawke
Everybody.

Journalist
And do they think she’ll survive the week?

Alex Hawke
Well everybody does yeah, nobody’s said any different.

Journalist
Why is Angus Taylor agitating for a spill then if Sussan Ley has the majority?

Alex Hawke
Well he isn’t.

Journalist
Are you saying it would surprise you if there was a spill this week?

Alex Hawke
Look, I think if someone wants to run for the leadership of the Liberal Party, they’ll contact their colleagues, they’ll say that, and if they’re in the executive they will step down and do it. No one’s done those things, so therefore this is feverish speculation.

Journalist
Does Angus Taylor need to clarify his position then on leadership.

Alex Hawke
Absolutely not, no. He’s working in lockstep with us he’s in all the key meetings we all work together we’re working on what we can do this week, in the parliamentary sitting week, to highlight the government’s deficiencies, especially over public spending and private spending. They’ve said the public sector’s got nothing to do with inflation…

Journalist
With an 18% primary vote, how is her leadership tenable? That’s a really low number, the lowest it’s ever been.

Alex Hawke
Well that question’s premised on the fact that the primary vote is just purely about who the leader is, which is not the case. We’ve suffered the most catastrophic election defeat we’ve ever had as a party just 6 months ago. So the public said they didn’t like our offering, they didn’t like our leadership, they didn’t like a lot of things. That takes time to change it. It’s not going to be changed by one personality, whoever that is. It’s going to be changed by a lot of hard work, a lot of good argument, good policy, and getting back on our feet.

Journalist
The numbers now are half of what they were at the election where Peter Dutton was in charge.

Alex Hawke
Yeah of course, and people are sending us a clear message, we have to listen to that message and assimilate it. Polls tell us what the current public mood is, and every politician’s attuned to them. That’s the current public mood and we’ll have to take account of it.

Journalist
But the current public mood is also about Sussan Ley’s personal approval rating, it’s not just about the party, it’s about her personal approval rating. So how do you justify that she’s still the right leader and still has the support of the Australian people.

Alex Hawke
I justify it because people have been through highs and lows many times before. Anthony Albanese reviled at some points in his career; he’ll tell you that himself.

Journalist
But this low?

Alex Hawke
Well John Howard plumbed the depths, the absolute depths of despair of popularity. Part of succeeding in politics is to go through the valleys, but also the mountains, we’re certainly in a valley at the moment. I’ve got to get moving, thank you, appreciate your time.

ENDS