Moderates (Liberal Party of Australia)
Political faction
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Moderates,[1][2][3][a] are a faction comprising the members, supporters and voters of the Liberal Party of Australia who are typically economically, socially and environmentally liberal.[9][10][11][12] Described as centrist,[7][13][14][15] the faction has supported ideologies such as economic liberalism, centrism and cultural liberalism, having a combination of economically liberal and socially progressive views. From May 2025 to February 2026, the offices of Leader of the Liberal Party and Leader of the Opposition were occupied by Sussan Ley, a member of the Moderates who was the first woman to hold either position.[16][17]
Moderate Faction Moderates, Modern Liberals, Small-l liberals | |
|---|---|
| Ideology | |
| Political position | Centre to centre-right |
| House of Representatives | 7 / 27 (2025 seats) |
| Senate | 9 / 23 (2025 seats) |
They compete with the Liberal Party's largest and major faction, the National Right.
Geographical base
Moderate Liberals traditionally represent inner-city and wealthy House of Representatives seats or are in the Senate.[18]
Membership
Prominent moderates include former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull,[19] former Foreign Affairs Minister and former Deputy Leader Julie Bishop,[20] former Defence Minister Christopher Pyne,[21] former Attorney-General George Brandis,[22] and former Liberal-turned-independent MP Julia Banks.[23]
Prominent moderates in the Morrison government included Senate leader Simon Birmingham,[24] Marise Payne, Paul Fletcher and Linda Reynolds.[25][non-primary source needed]
At the state level, four Liberal leaders are from this faction: Kellie Sloane (the New South Wales Opposition Leader),[26] Jeremy Rockliff (the current Tasmanian Premier),[27] Jess Wilson (the Victorian Opposition Leader),[28] and Ashton Hurn (the South Australia Opposition Leader). Prominent Moderates in New South Wales include Gladys Berejiklian (the 45th Premier of New South Wales),[29] Matt Kean (the faction's leader in New South Wales and former deputy leader of the party),[30] Rob Stokes (a former Cabinet minister)[31] and Natalie Ward (the party's deputy leader in New South Wales).[32] Prominent Moderates in other states include Georgie Crozier and David Southwick in Victoria;[33] John Gardner, Josh Teague (current South Australian Liberal deputy leader) and Tim Whetstone in South Australia;[34][35] and Peter Gutwein and Will Hodgman in Tasmania (who both served as Premier).[36][37]
Current Federal Members
As of 18 March 2026[update].[citation needed]
| Name | Constituency | Current Shadow/Former Government Positions | State/Territory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ted O'Brien | Member for Fairfax | Former Deputy Leader of the Opposition and Shadow Treasurer | QLD |
| Maria Kovacic | Senator for NSW | Shadow Assistant Minister | NSW |
| Anne Ruston | Senator for SA | Deputy Leader of Opposition in Senate, Manager of Opposition Business in Senate, Shadow Minister for Health, NDIS and Sport
Former Minister for Families and Social Services. |
SA |
| Jane Hume | Senator for VIC | Former Minister for Superannuation, Financial Services and the Digital Economy, and Women's Economic Security portfolios. | VIC |
| Angie Bell | Member for Moncrief | Shadow Minister for Environment and Youth | QLD |
| Richard Colbeck | Senator for TAS | TAS | |
| Andrew Bragg | Senator for NSW | Shadow Minister for Housing and Homelessness, and Productivity and Deregulation | NSW |
| Tim Wilson | Member for Goldstein | Shadow Minister for Small Business, and Industrial Relations and Employment | VIC |
| Paul Scarr | Senator for QLD | Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs | QLD |
| Mary Aldred | Member for Monash | VIC | |
| James McGrath | Senator for QLD | Shadow Minister for Urban Infrastructure and Cities, Brisbane 2032 Olympics, and Shadow Special Minister of State
Deputy Manager of Opposition Business in the Senate |
QLD |
| Dave Sharma | Senator for NSW | Shadow Assistant Minister | NSW |
| Melissa Price | Member for Durack | Shadow Minister for Defence Industry and Defence Personnel
Former Minister for Environment[38][circular reference] |
WA |
| Julian Leeser | Member for Berowra | Shadow Minister for Arts and Attorney General | NSW |
| Kerrynne Liddle | Senator for SA | Shadow Minister for Social Services and Indigenous Australians | SA |
