Senator the Hon Michaelia Cash
Leader of the Opposition in the Senate
Senator for Western Australia
OP-ED
The West Australian
16 February 2026
Taylor made to provide direction
“It’s too hard to buy a home. It’s too hard to start a business. It’s too hard to start a family. It’s too hard to access basic services.”
That is how Angus Taylor described the reality facing Australians in Parliament this week.
He went further: “The basic promise — that if you work hard and you do the right thing, you’ll get ahead — seems broken.”
Those aren’t abstract political lines. They describe what Australians are feeling every day. And that is why this moment matters.
This week the Liberal Party has turned a page. With a new leader comes renewed energy, renewed enthusiasm and a clear focus.
Angus Taylor has set out the mission plainly: protect our way of life and restore our standard of living.
Both are under assault.
Australia is a great country. But for too many Australians right now, it doesn’t feel like it.
The economy has hit a speed limit and it’s painfully slow. Families are stretched. Small businesses are squeezed.
Young Australians feel locked out of home ownership. Everyday Australians are making hard choices because government has avoided making them.
The Liberal priority now is clear: restore confidence that if you work hard and do the right thing, you will get ahead. That’s not ideology. That’s the Australian compact.
Taylor made it clear this isn’t just about economics. It’s about defending the Australian way of life.
That means safe communities, strong borders, respect for the rule of law, citizenship with responsibilities as well as rights, pride in our country, and social cohesion built on shared values.
Australians don’t want division. They want stability. They want fairness. They want standards upheld.
A centre-right party should never hesitate to say that protecting our way of life is fundamental.
But values alone aren’t enough. Australians also need economic relief.
In the House, Taylor was blunt: “We need less government, less spending, less taxes, less regulation and less regulators.”
That is a clear centre-right statement of belief. It means recognising that prosperity is built by Australians, by workers, tradies, farmers, small business owners, investors and entrepreneurs, not by endless expansion of bureaucracy.
It means understanding that government overspending fuels inflation, that over-regulation chokes investment, and that high taxes punish effort.
And it means being prepared to do the hard economic work to lift productivity, free up housing supply, restore business confidence and bring down cost pressures.
Taylor’s outlook isn’t theoretical. He is the son of a fourth-generation New South Wales sheep farmer and grew up on a farm in Nimmitabel.
He understands regional Australia, enterprise and self-reliance. He understands that prosperity is earned, not assumed.
That grounding matters. It shapes a belief in responsibility, discipline and hard work — values that resonate strongly in Western Australia, where industries are built on risk, investment and grit.
This reset is about more than a leadership change.
It is about a party rediscovering its centre-right confidence.
Australians don’t want noise. They want direction. They want an opposition that looks ready to govern. Ready to make hard choices. Ready to defend values and rebuild economic strength.
Ultimately, this moment is about restoring confidence. Confidence that if you work hard, you will get ahead. Confidence that the rules apply to everyone. Confidence that our leaders will protect our way of life. Confidence that families can build a secure future.
As Taylor said in Parliament: “Australia is worth fighting for.”
That is the tone. That is the mission. Protect our way of life. Restore our standard of living. Bring back the Australian promise.
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