Ley sets KPIs for fractious frontbench

Opposition Leader Sussan Ley has laid down the law to her frontbenchers, imposing key performance indicators to overcome the policy failures that plagued Peter Dutton’s election campaign.

Under pressure to maintain internal discipline, Ley has fired off what are known as charter letters to shadow ministers outlining minimum standards and priority policy areas.

Ley’s office wrote to frontbenchers on Tuesday to inform them about a letter that “will be in your boss’s inbox”, according to an email obtained by this masthead sent a day after she was peppered with questions about whether her leadership was under threat from MP Andrew Hastie.

“They set out policy priorities and key performance indicators, encompassing both the leader’s direction as well as areas where shadow ministers wish to advance policy,” it said.

“The letters provide clear direction and a tasking to shadow ministers beyond the conventional mirroring of government portfolios, putting the Coalition on a proactive policy path.”

Ley’s spokesman told this masthead the statement of expectations to her lieutenants “will enable the Coalition to develop a clear, credible policy platform to take to the election, drawing a clear contrast with Labor rather than simply responding to the government”.

The practice of a leader writing to frontbenchers began under the Hawke government and is not traditionally carried out by oppositions.

Ley’s decision to adopt the method reflects the depth of concern inside the Coalition about the breakdown in policy and communication under Dutton, whose office was accused by shadow ministers of running a command-and-control model with little emphasis on collaborative ideas.

The party’s election campaign was cruelled by a lack of detailed policy on economics, migration and areas such as health and education. This masthead reported in May that Dutton’s pollster was sending near-daily missives to Dutton’s staff pleading for tax and cost-of-living pledges as the party’s support sank and it lost the economic debate, traditionally a Coalition strength, amid an inflation crisis.

The resignation of Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, adventurous vision statements from self-described leadership aspirant Hastie and discontent on the right flank of the party have caused angst for Ley lately as the party’s polling remains at record lows. Despite the troubles, Ley has the numbers in the party room and retains the support of key members of the Right.

The charter letters build on the opposition’s establishment of five new policy committees, some of which have already met as the party brawls over the net zero climate target.

Liberal MP Tony Pasin, one of the most right-wing members of the party, highlighted frustration about Ley’s decision to cast aside all election policies.

“I told senior colleagues effectively you are throwing me out into the community naked, with nothing to say or do or talk about,” he said last week.

Asked on Monday if she was worried Hastie was angling to challenge her, Ley said: “No, I’m not.

“I’m very confident that all of my colleagues are expressing strongly held views, and they do that in many ways”.

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