Sussan Ley has formally quit parliament two weeks after being ousted from the Liberal Party’s top job.
Her resignation as the member for Farrer will trigger a by-election in her regional NSW electorate, which is expected to be a hotly contested four-way race.
“This morning, I wrote to the Speaker of the House of Representatives to advise of my immediate resignation from the parliament as the Federal Member for Farrer,” Ms Ley said in a statement.
“I shall not be returning for a valedictory speech. I am confident that my efforts and achievements over 25 years will speak for themselves.”
Ms Ley said she was proud of her work establishing a federal royal commission into anti-Semitism and setting clear policy directions on tax, industrial relations, energy, national security and families.
She was rolled as opposition leader on February 13, with Angus Taylor taking over after a series of dire opinion polls.
The Liberals, Nationals, One Nation and independent Michelle Milthorpe hope to win Ms Ley’s seat once a by-election is called.
Among coalition ranks, the vote is viewed as the first major test of Mr Taylor’s leadership.
Fellow independents David Pocock and Helen Haines will publicly endorse Ms Milthorpe on Friday, effectively kicking off the campaign for Farrer even though a by-election date is yet to be set.
Ms Milthorpe has previously been in the public eye as an advocate for victims of child sexual assault, after her two daughters were abused by a family friend.
She ran against Ms Ley in the 2025 federal election, losing 56.2 to 43.8 per cent after preferences.
After being deposed as opposition leader, Ms Ley said she would spend the following weeks thanking her constituents before tendering her resignation.
But one senior Liberal source said Ms Ley had not been heard from since the day of the leadership spill and had not reached out to any of the local party membership.
Ms Ley’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
The Liberals, Nationals and One Nation are all yet to announce candidates for the upcoming vote.
State Liberal MP for Albury Justin Clancy had been considering a run but ruled himself out on Friday morning, citing family commitments.
Party insiders feared losing Farrer and the state seat of Albury if Mr Clancy wasn’t successful in the by-election.
One Nation plans to reveal its final three or four nominations next week, with a pre-selection event scheduled for March 7 to choose the official candidate.
Helen Dalton, an independent NSW MP whose electorate of Murray overlaps with Farrer, has left the door open to running for the anti-immigration party.
Local Nationals party members will also vote on their candidate in the coming weeks.