Sussan Ley

Sussan Penelope Ley (pron. , "Susan Lee"; ; born 14 December 1961) is an Australian politician who has been deputy leader of the Liberal Party and Deputy Leader of the Opposition since May 2022. She has been member of parliament (MP) for the New South Wales seat of Farrer since 2001 and was a cabinet minister in the Abbott, Turnbull and Morrison governments. Ley was born in Nigeria to English parents. She grew up in the UAE and England before moving to Australia as a teenager. Prior to entering politics she worked as a commercial pilot, farmer and public servant based in Albury, New South Wales. Ley was elected to the House of Representatives at the 2001 federal election. She was a parliamentary secretary in the Howard government and became a senior opposition frontbencher following the government's defeat in 2007. In the Abbott and Turnbull governments, Ley held the ministerial portfolios of Assistant Minister for Education (2013–2014), Minister for Health (2014–2016), Sport (2014–2017), Aged Care (2015–2016), and Health and Aged Care (2016–2017). She resigned from the ministry in January 2017 following a controversy over her travel expense claims, but returned in August 2018 when Scott Morrison succeeded Malcolm Turnbull as prime minister. She subsequently served as Assistant Minister for Regional Development and Territories (2018–2019) and Minister for the Environment prior to the government's defeat at the 2022 federal election. In the 47th Australian Parliament, Ley represents the Opposition in the roles of Shadow Minister for Women, Industry, Skills and Training, as well as Small and Family Business. Early years and background Ley was born on 14 December 1961 in Kano, Kano State, Federation of Nigeria. The daughter of English parents, her family moved to the United Arab Emirates when she was one year old, where her father worked as a British intelligence officer. Ley attended boarding school in England until she was 13, when her family migrated to Australia. Her parents bought a hobby farm in Toowoomba, but quickly sold it due to a crash in beef prices. They then moved to Canberra, where her father worked for the Australian Federal Police. She was educated at Campbell High School, Dickson College, La Trobe University, the University of New South Wales and Charles Sturt University, and has master's degrees in taxation and accountancy.