Liberal review of 2025 election loss buried by party executive members

Published: 27 February 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online.

The Liberal party executive has reached a controversial agreement to permanently bury the review into their catastrophic 2025 election defeat. This surprising move effectively shields former leader Peter Dutton and current leader Angus Taylor from potentially damaging findings regarding their specific roles. Many party members now fear this decision will prevent necessary learning from the historic loss. The Liberal review was intended to provide a clear roadmap for the party to recover its standing with Australian voters. By keeping the document hidden, the executive has chosen to prioritize internal stability over transparent accountability. This decision marks a significant moment in the party’s long and storied political history.

The federal executive met on Friday to finalize the fate of the comprehensive report. Pru Goward and Nick Minchin conducted this critical Liberal review after the party suffered the worst result in over eighty years. The party released a brief statement acknowledging the election was a truly decisive defeat for their side. They stated they accept the verdict while emphasizing a need to strengthen the party for the future. However, the decision not to publish the findings has generated immediate and sharp criticism from various members. Many MPs believe that transparency is essential for the long-term health of the organization moving forward.

The autopsy release was initially scheduled for last year but faced significant delays throughout the process. Reports suggest Peter Dutton raised concerns about findings regarding him and his senior staff members. These findings reportedly touched upon his complicated relationship with the party’s central campaign head office. Observers have noted that the Liberal review might have highlighted systemic failures that leadership preferred to keep quiet. Some insiders claim that Angus Taylor wanted the document suppressed after he secured the party leadership position. Taylor and his deputy Jane Hume were responsible for the Coalition’s thin economic agenda during the campaign.

These two figures are currently serving as members of the powerful Liberal federal executive today. Their involvement in the decision to shelve the report has raised eyebrows among many political analysts. Sources familiar with the review confirmed that the findings reflected poorly on both Taylor and Hume. Taylor was deeply involved in the decision to oppose Labor’s tax cuts during the campaign period. Furthermore, Jane Hume was the primary voice behind a controversial work-from-home policy that faced widespread public backlash. Dutton later dumped that policy during the campaign, but the political damage had already been firmly done.

Hume’s earlier comments regarding foreign intelligence were also blamed for swinging votes against the Liberals significantly. This occurred primarily in seats with large numbers of voters from Chinese Australian communities across the country. The decision to keep the Liberal review private has sparked intense frustration among several party backbenchers. One anonymous MP stated that the new leadership team never wanted this report to be seen publicly. There is a palpable sense that the party is missing a chance to address its fundamental issues. Without this analysis, it becomes much harder for future candidates to understand the campaign’s various failures.

Some sources present at the Friday meeting argued that the decision was about a fresh start. They insisted that the move was not designed to protect Dutton, Taylor, or Hume from embarrassment. Instead, members of the executive allegedly wanted to avoid airing the party’s dirty laundry right now. The timing is particularly sensitive with a South Australian election looming on the political horizon shortly. There is also a federal byelection approaching in the seat previously held by Sussan Ley, named Farrer. Some members feared that releasing the report would create a distraction during these very important upcoming campaigns.

Another factor mentioned by one source involved the desire to avoid potential and costly legal fights. They drew direct comparisons to a recent high-profile court case involving internal party disputes in Victoria. Avoiding a legal battle with a former leader seems to be a priority for the current executive. Pru Goward expressed her deep regret that the Liberal review would not be released to the public. In a column, she stated that the document could have easily withstood any potential legal challenge. She emphasized that the party owns the report and has full control over its ultimate final fate.

Goward argued that without reading the report, future leaders cannot understand why the campaign faced such chaos. She highlighted that the party showed flat-footedness and offered only very limited policy options to voters. The recommendations within the Liberal review were designed to assist in avoiding any repetition of these mistakes. She maintained that the work was undertaken with the best of intentions for the party’s future. It is clear that the authors believe a strong center-right party is necessary for a healthy democracy. Despite these arguments, the executive remains committed to its path of keeping the findings completely under wraps.

This move leaves the party in a difficult position as they try to look toward the future. Many questions remain about how they will reconnect with voters without conducting an honest internal assessment. The decision to bury the findings reflects a strategy of moving on rather than looking back. Whether this approach helps the party recover or merely delays a reckoning remains to be seen. Supporters are left wondering if the organization has truly learned the lessons of the 2025 defeat. For now, the internal review remains a mystery, locked away from the eyes of the wider public.

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