Kellie Sloane has moved into the leadership of the New South Wales Liberals after Mark Speakman stepped aside, ending a brief period of uncertainty inside the party. The first-term MP for Vaucluse was elected unopposed this morning after Shadow Attorney-General Alister Henskens withdrew from the contest. Natalie Ward will continue as deputy leader, while Damien Tudehope remains leader of the opposition in the upper house.
Mr Speakman, who only hours earlier had insisted he would keep fighting for the role, announced his resignation on Thursday afternoon. He used the same press conference to endorse Ms Sloane, clearing the path for a smooth transition at a time when the Opposition has been searching for clarity and a forward direction.
Ms Sloane, who has served as shadow health minister, thanked colleagues for their backing and acknowledged the man she succeeds. “I am honoured to have been elected Leader of the NSW Liberal Parliamentary Party, and I want to thank my colleagues for the confidence they have placed in me,” she said. She added her “deep appreciation to Mark Speakman for his service as Leader”, praising his “integrity, diligence and a deep commitment to the people of NSW”.
She framed her appointment as a turning point for a party seeking to sharpen its focus against the Minns Government, arguing that NSW is facing growing pressures. “NSW is at a pivotal moment. Under Chris Minns and Labor, our state is falling behind,” she said. She pointed to cuts to infrastructure investment, a worsening housing crisis and ongoing strain on the health system, while arguing cost-of-living support has been wound back at a time when households are already stretched.
According to Ms Sloane, Labor has become “reactive, slow to deliver and increasingly defined by excuses rather than outcomes”. She said the Opposition’s responsibility now is to offer a clear alternative. “The people of NSW deserve an Opposition that has a long-term Plan and that is ambitious for our state’s future.”
Her message to colleagues was to pull together and reset. “Today’s outcome confirms our commitment to generational renewal, revitalised energy and a clear plan to hold Labor to account, every day and in every corner of NSW,” she said. She pledged to lead a team that is “focused, strategic and outcomes driven”, arguing that voters expect a credible pathway back to government.
The priorities she listed were broad but centred on core services and economic confidence. She committed to keeping the infrastructure pipeline moving, easing cost pressures on families, improving frontline services, boosting housing supply and managing the budget in a way that “restores confidence and certainty”.
Ms Sloane said the party’s task now is to unify behind a plan and take it directly to communities across the state. “My pledge is simple, the NSW Liberals under my leadership will fight relentlessly for families and for the opportunities they seek,” she said. “Families will be at the heart of everything we do.”
She framed NSW as an “ambitious state” and said the Opposition must match that ambition in the years ahead. “I look forward to working with you as we build the next chapter for the NSW Liberal Party, and deliver the strong, future-focused government NSW deserves.”
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