The Liberal Party has fallen behind in reaching younger voters, its new leader concedes, but the focus will be on changing its campaigning strategies rather than policies.
Angus Taylor used his first major speech to the party faithful on Saturday to outline a digital-first campaign strategy to reach voters long before the next election.
Targeted messages to show disillusioned voters the Liberals are a party for all will be the focus of his leadership, Mr Taylor told the NSW Liberal State Council.
"We've fallen behind in collecting and using data and we've fallen behind in reaching Australians where they are - their phones, in their feeds and in the online spaces where views are shaped well before an election occurs," Mr Taylor said.
The Liberals have long understood they need to appeal to younger voters to remain relevant in the political landscape.
The latest Redbridge poll on Sunday showed support for the party at less than 15 per cent among generation Z and millennial voters.
Mr Taylor admitted the party made mistakes leading up to the 2025 election.
Chief among them was a failure to announce policies with enough time for voters to consider them, something he has vowed to rectify.
Persuading younger demographics the Liberals are a viable electoral option will be Mr Taylor's defining challenge as leader.
"The Liberal Party must attract, must retain and must empower dedicated Australians from all walks of life," he said.
"We must return to being a grassroots ... party that is a natural home to everyday Australians."
While the campaigning strategy looked ahead, many of the policies flagged by Mr Taylor echoed culture war issues already deemed unsavoury by much of the electorate.
He called for the "elimination of classroom indoctrination" and said part of his mission was to emphasise the importance of "standing in front of an Australian flag".
The eradication of the "nanny state" was also floated as a result of a future coalition government.
With a threat from One Nation lurking on the party's right, Mr Taylor was keen to spruik immigration as a key concern.
"Numbers are too high and standards are too low," he said.
Islamist extremism was singled out, with Mr Taylor saying the repatriation of any of the women and children in Syria "must never happen".
Mr Taylor repeatedly paid tribute to NSW Opposition Leader Kellie Sloane, particularly her efforts to drive housing policy.
However, Ms Sloane did not mention her federal counterpart during her speech, choosing instead to focus on her more imminent election challenge in March 2027.
"It has been 100 years since a first-term government was overturned in New South Wales," she said at the council.
"But ... change is required in NSW, because the reality is that in our state, too many people feel like they're playing a game that they can't win."
Both leaders will hope the rousing receptions they received from the party faithful in Sydney are a much-needed good omen for their futures.
