New Canberra Liberals leader Elizabeth Lee has declared her party must change in the wake of their ACT election defeat, as she vowed to advocate for all Canberrans in her new position.
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Ms Lee won a party room ballot for the Liberal leadership on Tuesday morning, defeating former leader Jeremy Hanson.
Alistair Coe did not contest the ballot, spelling the end of his four-year stint as Opposition leader.
Ms Lee is the first female leader of the Canberra Liberals since former Chief Minister Kate Carnell.
With Giulia Jones elected deputy leader, the Liberals have the first all-female leadership team in the history of the ACT Legislative Assembly.
Speaking to the media for the first time as leader, Ms Lee signalled a new direction for the Liberals as they rebuild from a sixth consecutive ACT election defeat.
"Canberra spoke very loudly and we must listen," she said of the election loss, which saw the party lose two seats and suffer a 3 per cent swing against them.
A member of the party's moderate faction, Ms Lee will provide the Liberals with an opportunity to challenge the perception that they are controlled by conservatives and are out of step with mainstream Canberra.
Asked if the Liberals would adopt more moderate policies under her leadership, Ms Lee reiterated that voters had delivered a clear message at the election and there were "certainly things that must change".
But Ms Lee said the Liberals would remain a "broad church", as she declared a desire to represent all Canberrans "not just a significant or a small proportion".
She was noncommittal when asked what specific change was required, but said a review underway into the failed election campaign would help provide some answers.
"I do believe that we had a positive message that we took to the election campaign, but for whatever reason that did not cut through," she said.
Ms Lee, who was born in South Korea, emphasised the cultural diversity of the Canberra Liberals, a feature she said was missing from ACT and Australian politics.
"I want to make sure that I do my part to create Canberra into the most connected capital in the world, bringing people from all walks of life together to ensure we create the best capital that we can," she said.
The Canberra Times understands Ms Lee beat Mr Hanson convincingly in the leadership ballot.
Mr Hanson congratulated the new Liberals leadership team in a Facebook post on Tuesday afternoon.
"I am confident that Elizabeth and the new deputy Giulia Jones will do a great job leading the Canberra Liberals over the next four years and I look forward to working closely with them and the rest of the Canberra Liberals team," Mr Hanson's post read.
Mr Coe described Ms Lee and Mrs Jones as an excellent team, saying he looked forward to working with the pair in the coming term.
Chief Minister and Labor leader Andrew Barr also congratulated the pair.
"The Canberra Liberals have a role to play in the Legislative Assembly and under new leadership there may be more occasions where the government and the Opposition can find common ground on policy matters," Mr Barr said in a statement.
Ms Lee, who topped the Liberals' ticket in Kurrajong at this month's election, had been widely considered a future leader of the party.
A small group of Liberal MLAs last year canvassed the option of replacing Mr Coe with Ms Lee as party leader ahead of the 2020 election.
She has been the Liberals' environment, education and disability spokeswoman.
Ms Lee was 7 years old when her family moved from South Korea to Australia.
The 41-year-old worked as a lawyer and a university lecturer before entering the ACT Legislative Assembly in 2016.
She became a mother for the first time last year, giving birth to daughter Mia. Ms Lee has taught group fitness classes Sh'Bam and Body Balance at gyms in Canberra.
In her inaugural speech in 2016, she recalled her family's first years in Australia and the decision to uproot their lives in Korea.
"Two young daughters to feed, starting a new life in a country where no one else looks like you," she said.
"That's the life that my parents started in 1986.
"Because it's about courage, the courage to do what is right, not what is easy.
"My parents chose to leave behind a comfortable life in Korea for a new life in Australia because they wanted a better life for us. The country where age, gender, race or sexual orientation is no barrier to achieving your goals if you just give it a go."