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Moderates (Liberal Party of Australia)
Political faction From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Moderates,[1][2][3] also known as Modern Liberals,[4][5] Small-L Liberals[6] Liberal Left,[7] or The Mods,[8] 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] The faction has been described as centre[7][12][13] to centre-right.[14] The faction has supported ideologies such as economic liberalism, centrism and social liberalism, having a combination of economically liberal and socially progressive views. Since May 2025, the offices of Leader of the Liberal Party and Leader of the Opposition have been occupied by Sussan Ley, who is the first woman to hold either position. She is a member of the Moderates and identifies as a republican, as do many other members of the Liberal Party.[15][16]
They compete with the Liberal Party's largest and major faction, the National Right. The Moderates receive support from the Centre Right faction under current Leadership.[15]
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Geographical base
Moderate Liberals traditionally represent inner-city and wealthy House of Representatives seats or are in the Senate.[17] The Moderates currently have federal representation in 4/5 states which they hold seats[18][19][20][21]. Traditionally, the Moderates are strongest in New South Wales and Victoria where they hold most of their representation. However in Victoria, the nominal Moderate faction is not affiliated with those of the other states. The Moderates are the dominant faction in New South Wales and have provided all of the past three Liberal leaders in Tasmania (all of whom served as Premier).[22]
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Membership
Summarize
Perspective
Prominent moderates include former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull,[23] former Foreign Affairs Minister and former Deputy Leader Julie Bishop,[24] former Defence Minister Christopher Pyne,[25] former Attorney-General George Brandis,[26] and former Liberal-turned-independent MP Julia Banks.[27]
Prominent moderates in the Morrison government included Senate leader Simon Birmingham,[28] Marise Payne, Paul Fletcher and Linda Reynolds.[29]
At the state level, three Liberal leaders are from this faction: Mark Speakman (the New South Wales Opposition Leader),[30] Jeremy Rockliff (the current Tasmanian Premier)[31] and Vincent Tarzia (the South Australia Opposition Leader). Prominent Moderates in New South Wales include Gladys Berejiklian (the 45th Premier of New South Wales),[32] Matt Kean (the faction's leader in New South Wales and former deputy leader of the party),[33] Rob Stokes (a former Cabinet minister)[34] and Natalie Ward (the party's deputy leader in New South Wales).[35] Prominent Moderates in other states include Georgie Crozier and David Southwick in Victoria;[36] John Gardner, Josh Teague (current South Australian Liberal deputy leader) and Tim Whetstone in South Australia;[37][38] and Peter Gutwein and Will Hodgman in Tasmania (who both served as Premier).[39][40]
Current Federal Members
As of 10 October 2025[update].[3]
Former Federal Members
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See also
Notes
- Julia Banks left the Liberal Party in 2018 while sitting as a federal MP.
References
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