Overview
- The Liberal federal executive has suppressed the post‑election review, but both the December draft and a rewritten January version have leaked, and Treasurer Jim Chalmers read excerpts into Hansard.
- Peter Dutton has denounced the report as a gratuitous hit job, while co‑author Nick Minchin defends its findings and says leadership decisions contributed to the scale of the 2025 defeat.
- The review concludes there was a breakdown of trust between Dutton’s office and the party’s campaign unit, calls for the campaign director’s authority to be codified, and warns that urgent action is required for the party’s survival.
- It highlights losses among women and recent migrants—particularly Chinese‑Australian and Muslim voters—and says the multicultural challenge may be a bigger problem than the gender gap.
- It cites missteps including the short‑lived plan to end public‑service working from home and Jane Hume’s “Chinese spies” remark, as Liberals debate publication and MPs say lessons must be learned regardless.