Last month, Sussan Ley made history as the first woman to lead the Liberal Party. In this opinion piece, she explains why she’s rejecting the ‘glass cliff’ theory, the idea that women are often handed leadership roles during times of crisis, setting them up to fail.
“Are you sure you can do this” the gruff shearing contractor asked as I arrived for my first day working for him in the red dust of Thargomindah in remote Queensland.
I was a long way from home with a newly minted aerial stock mustering endorsement.
But after months of chasing my dream, unsuccessfully in the cities, this was my shot.
“I am definitely up for it!”
There and then, near the outback town they still call Thargo, it was my time to fly. And fly I did, in a very small plane, in very tight circles, very close to the ground.
I had already learned the path to becoming a female pilot was going to be tough. Too many people weren’t ready for someone like me in the left hand seat at the front of the plane.
But that didn’t stop me. I kept dreaming. I worked. I studied. I failed. And then I flew.
It took time. A lot of hard work, and a few tears too.
Aviation isn’t one of those vocations you can just step into. You have to earn your wings.
And I earned mine.
That was good enough for the boys in the blue singlets in the shearing sheds of western Queensland. And it was good enough for me. I could fly.
The wisdom of those workers, who built our prosperity with calloused hands and strong backs, has always been my North Star.
Looking back, I wonder how they would react knowing that a 20 year old bush pilot from the city was now the Leader of the federal opposition.
What would those boys from the bush tell me to say about glass cliffs?
What I do know is it is the greatest honour of my life to have been elected as Leader of the Liberal Party of Australia.
And to be the first woman to have reached that role fuels my fire all the more.
I am proud that as my granddaughter grows up, this moment will inspire her to dream bigger and run further.
My biggest motivation will always be to create an even better Australia for all my grandkids.
They call me Glamz, I want them to see Glamz succeed.
The support I have received from colleagues and the community has been overwhelming.
But, some believe I face the ‘class cliff’. That is where a woman is ‘given a mess to clean up that she will inevitably fail at.’
When I put myself forward for the leadership, glass cliffs weren’t front of mind.
No one told me about glass cliffs when I placed ads in regional papers across the country to try and land a job as one of the first Australian female mustering pilots.
No one warned me about a glass cliff when I went to uni, with a baby in a capsule, as our family struggled to make ends meet.
No one asked me about glass cliffs when I hooked up my caravan, painted it Liberal blue, and drove up and down the Murray to run for parliament.
Glass cliffs didn’t feature in the analysis of my appointments as health minister, environment minister, nor as deputy leader of the opposition.
As far as political analysis goes, it is just wrong.
You see, politics is another one of those vocations you don’t just step into.
In politics, just like flying, you need focus, discipline and nerve
Sometimes it’s clear and bright, but more often than not there are stormy skies.
For over 20 years I have served in the national parliament. I have been a cabinet minister in three different governments.
For three years I served as the deputy leader of opposition, and I have fought hard every single day for the Australians who do so much, but ask for so little.
I earned my spot.
There is no doubt that all too often women are left to clean up the mess.
Whether that is in broken homes or in corporate boardrooms, women are often asked to clear higher hurdles and pass different tests.
But when the most successful political party in our nation’s history picks a leader, it doesn’t do so based on chromosomes.
I earned my shot.
I am the leader for this moment.
I am here to listen, to rebuild and to modernise the Liberal Party.
I am not interested in the noise or in echo chambers. I am focused on working hard for Australians each and every day.
With hard work and humility, we can win back the trust of the community.
And as for ‘glass cliffs’, I couldn’t give a stuff about them.
I intend on steering my party skyward, into smooth air and sunlight. Cliffs don’t matter when you’ve got your wings.
Feature image: Sussan Ley. Supplied.