An internal review into the Liberal Party’s 2025 record election loss has been made public, despite the party’s efforts to keep it private.
Much of the report centres around former leader Peter Dutton’s appeal leading into the election, and the party’s “extraordinary combination of internal issues”, leading to “the worst campaign... [it] ever fought.”
Dutton told The Sydney Morning Herald the review “was an unprofessional attempt at a hit job”.
Here’s what you need to know.
Review
Following the Liberal Party’s record election loss in May 2025, the party commissioned an internal review to understand the factors that contributed to the result.
The review was commissioned in June 2025 and undertaken by two former Liberal politicians.
A similar review was undertaken after the Liberal Party lost the 2022 election.
Privacy attempt
In a statement on 27 February, the Liberal Party announced it had “considered” and “decided not to publish the review.”
The Party conceded the result was a “decisive defeat.”
The statement did not specifically explain why it would not publish the report.
The Herald reported that Dutton “had threatened legal action if the report was released”.
Tabling
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While the Liberals aimed to keep the report out of public view, this week the Labor Party tabled the document.
During Tuesday’s question time, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese held up a copy of the report, saying: “I'll table it for them so that they can read the report about the diabolical campaign that they ran”.
Albanese said the review included “why all their policies were wrong.”
Contents
The review begins with an analysis of the election outcome, stating it as “the worst in the Liberal Party's history.”
“The Coalition now holds 28.7% of lower house seats, the lowest since the two-party system emerged 120 years ago,” it says.
Internal factors: A key factor the review identifies is that Dutton’s leadership “lacked appeal”. It states: “Dutton’s previous ministerial image as a hard man needed considerable work with paid and unpaid media, but that did not eventuate”.
The report also unpacks “the breakdown in communication” between Dutton and the Liberal Party, with conflicting messaging and strategies between the leadership and broader party campaign teams.
The report found Dutton’s office ignored advice on a “regular basis” and this “crippled” the overall campaign.
It also notes the Liberals’ appeal to “the female vote” is “clearly a problem”. The authors recommended the party employ and preselect more women.
External factors: Dutton’s “perceived similarity” to Trump is cited as part of his lack of appeal, particularly when Trump announced tariff increases that were unpopular in Australia.
Other ‘external’ factors included the party’s response to widespread flooding across Australia’s east coast in the lead-up to the election.
The review claims Dutton’s absence when his electorate was under threat of floods invoked memories for voters of former PM Scott Morrison’s Hawaii trip during the 2019-20 bushfires.
