Former defence minister Peter Dutton is elected unopposed as Liberal leader

Former defence minister Peter Dutton has been elected unopposed as Liberal leader, with former environment minister Sussan Ley taking the deputy spot.

Mr Dutton will become the first Queenslander to lead the Liberal Party.

The Dickson MP has been touted as Scott Morrison’s likely replacement since the coalition lost government.

Mr Morrison put on a brave face when he arrived at Parliament House on Monday to watch his successor be elected.

Speaking to reporters after Mr Dutton was titled the new Opposition leader, Mr Morrison said both he and Ms Ley were an ‘enormously experienced team’.

‘I was very pleased that they served in my cabinet, they did outstanding jobs,’ he said.

‘They’re incredibly experiences, well versed, deeply committed Australians to both the Liberal cause and of course the cause of the nation and I think they’ll do an outstanding job.

Former defence minister Peter Dutton (pictured with wife) has been elected unopposed as Liberal leader, with former environment minister Sussan Ley taking the deputy spot

Former Liberal leader Scott Morrison put on a brave face when he arrived at Parliament House on Monday

Mr Morrison is seen walking in Parliament House as the new Liberal leader was announced

Speaking to reporters after Mr Dutton was elected, Mr Morrison (pictured together) said both he and Ms Ley were an ‘enormously experienced team’

‘It was a good opportunity for me to thank my colleagues for their great loyalty and support over these past more than three and a half years and to do that both on my behalf as well as on behalf of my dear friend Josh Frydenberg, who we’re all very sad couldn’t be with us today.

‘It’s been a great privilege to lead the federal parliamentary Liberal Party and I hand it over to Peter and Sussan and wish them all the very best.’

Mr Dutton’s likely main challenger was Mr Frydenberg, but after he lost his seat of Kooyong in the Federal Election, it became a one-horse race.

Ahead of the vote by Liberal MPs, Queensland’s Stuart Robert said the pair would be unopposed.

‘(I’m) super happy about the party room and the leadership team we’re bringing in,’ he told Nine Network on Monday.

Mr Dutton had all but been confirmed to be the new Liberal leader after running unopposed

NSW Liberal senator Hollie Hughes says Mr Dutton will lead the party back to the centre-right as it looks to rebuild.

Former immigration minister Alex Hawke says the party had a strong history of containing both progressives and conservatives.

‘That’s a strength not a weakness and I think that blend is very important,’ he said.

Mr Hawke also denied the party had struck the wrong balance between the two at the election.

‘The regions struck very strongly with the Liberal and National parties, the suburbs and outer suburbs … very strong results in western Sydney,’ he said.

‘We were blindsided in areas of Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne. Votes that went to the Greens, votes that went to the teals, this is something we have to look at, what policies will appeal to those people.’

Former home affairs minister Karen Andrews, also a Queenslander, says the leadership duo will offer the skills and depth needed to take the party forward.

Mr Dutton, a former police officer, spruiked his credentials for the job of opposition leader following his nomination.

Mr Dutton will become the first Queenslander to lead the Liberal Party

‘In a prime minister you need someone who won’t buckle in hard times and will stand up for our country and I have proven that in the portfolios I’ve had,’ he wrote on Facebook.

‘My work ethic is second to none and I have the skill and experience having served five leaders and have learnt from each.’

Mr Dutton has pledged to take the party back to its core values and represent the aspirational ‘forgotten people’ of Australia.

‘We aren’t the Moderate Party. We aren’t the Conservative Party. We are Liberals,’ the post said.

The Liberal Party has never had a leader from Queensland since it was founded in 1944.

Elizabeth Watson-Brown, the new Greens MP for the Brisbane-based seat of Ryan, said voters won’t be ‘enamoured’ by Mr Dutton.

‘The Liberal Party does need to do some soul searching,’ she told the ABC.

‘The general sense was that their campaign was sort of pretty disgraceful, there was a lot of culture-war baiting (and) inaction on climate change,’ she said.

‘The voters of Ryan will not necessarily have a particularly benign view of Peter Dutton.’