Ex-Liberal Charlotte Mortlock launches Something Better movement to challenge major parties
Consensus Summary
Charlotte Mortlock, a former Liberal Party member and founder of Hilma’s Network, has launched Something Better, a grassroots political movement aiming to establish Australia’s next major party. She left the Liberal Party in February 2026 after its leadership ousted Sussan Ley, its first female leader, and abandoned gender quota proposals. Mortlock’s movement has attracted over 1,000 supporters, with a goal of 1,500 members to register as a party, and she explicitly positions it as a challenge to both major parties and One Nation. She emphasizes a focus on common-sense policies and grassroots engagement, rejecting ideological divisions. While both sources agree on her departure and the movement’s goals, ABC highlights her broader critique of systemic flaws and the Liberal Party’s internal factions, while NEWSCOMAU focuses on One Nation’s rise and the need for a fresh, bottom-up approach. Mortlock insists she will not run for parliament but aims to build a unified party to address voter disillusionment with the establishment.
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Key details reported by multiple sources:
- Charlotte Mortlock left the Liberal Party in February 2026 after the party ousted its first female leader, Sussan Ley, less than a year into her term
- Mortlock founded Hilma’s Network, a movement encouraging more women to join the Liberal Party, before leaving it
- Mortlock’s Something Better movement has over 1,000 supporters signed up, with a goal of 1,500 members to register as a political party
- Mortlock states she will not run for parliament herself but aims to work for the new party
- Mortlock criticizes the Liberal Party for failing to address systemic flaws and anti-establishment sentiment among voters
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- Mortlock’s Something Better campaign launched with hundreds signing up within 24 hours of its announcement
- Mortlock cites high-speed rail as a policy with broad appeal across the political spectrum
- She dismisses comparisons to the Teal movement, arguing for a unified party rather than scattered independents
- Mortlock mentions the Liberal Party’s decision to abandon a proposed 40% gender quota for candidates as a key factor in her departure
- She references research showing a decline in women voting for the Liberal Party since 2004
- Mortlock says she is not ideologically bound but focuses on common-sense policies to unite voters from Greens to One Nation
- She quotes herself saying, 'If you can't have a crack in Australia, where can you have a crack?'
- Mortlock describes the current political landscape as 'ripe for disruption'
- She mentions the Liberal Party’s internal factions undermining Sussan Ley as a reason for her departure
- Mortlock explicitly states she is 'ready' to challenge One Nation for conservative voters
- She reflects on One Nation’s rapid poll ascent and its grassroots network established in April 2026
- Mortlock says she expected One Nation to perform well in Sussan Ley’s former seat of Farrer, where the Coalition lost to them
- She emphasizes the need for a 'fresh' political movement 'from the ground, grassroots, as opposed to being top down'
- Mortlock mentions the NSW Liberals ditching a proposed vote on gender quotas as part of her reasons for leaving
Contradictions
Conflicting information between sources:
- ABC states Mortlock left the Liberal Party in February 2026, while NEWSCOMAU says she left 'less than three months' before May 2026, which could imply a slight discrepancy in timing
- ABC mentions Mortlock’s departure was 'inevitable' after Ley’s ousting, while NEWSCOMAU frames it as a response to both Ley’s ousting and the NSW Liberals ditching gender quotas
Source Articles
Why this ex-Liberal thinks she can unite One Nation and Greens voters
Charlotte Mortlock believes it is time for Australia to leave the left-right ideology behind and focus on what brings people together instead.
‘I’m ready’: Ex-Lib launches challenge to One Nation
A leading women’s advocate who quit the Liberal Party in February has launched a new political movement that could likely challenge One Nation.