Sussan Ley

“Mr Speaker, as a proud parliamentary secretary in Tony Abbott’s government, I rise to remind the women of Australia, as they do the ironing, that the Honourable Prime Minister likes a bit of stiffness in his pants, and prefers to keep his colours separated.”
– Sussan Ley, Hansard, April 1, 2014 

Sussan Ley is the Member for Farrer and a former minister in various capacities for three different Liberal prime ministers.

And obviously, that’s not saying much – in recent times the Libs have chewed through prime ministers like George Christensen racks up international frequent flyer miles to the Philippines.

But one of her genuine accomplishments (or maybe ‘claims to fame’, because ‘accomplishments’ feels a little over-stated), was becoming only the second woman to be elevated to the federal cabinet of renowned feminist ally and ‘man about town’, Tony Abbott.

Ley, who Abbott apparently understood “could make a broom sing”, was promoted to the role of Minister for Health and Minister for Sport in 2014. Her capacity to put a pleat in a pair of dress pants aside, Ley’s appointment to both ministries made sense when you consider her past history in the sport of accountancy, and the fact that she has also been sick a couple of times.

Ley currently serves as both Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party, and tea lady to Peter Dutton. She lists her hobbies as “making the Liberal Party’s deeply ingrained misogyny look dead sexy, getting Peter biscuits when he asks nicely, and both ironing and irony”. Sussan was ranked 27th in New Matilda’s inaugural ‘Dirty 30’ list, and she also enjoys receiving mail reminding her of that fact, particularly if it’s a This Is Not A Greeting Card!

• For more factual and balanced (but slightly less entertaining) political reporting from New Matilda, please visit us here.