The Canberra Liberals need to differentiate themselves from the federal Liberal party and would do so if elected, a former Liberal chief minister has said.
Gary Humphries, a leading moderate figure in the party, said Opposition Leader Elizabeth Lee understood the need and represented the opposition's best chance of returning to power, but he acknowledged the capital had never been a fertile ground for the party.
Mr Humphries said it would be "miraculous" for Ms Lee to achieve a majority government, but the party needed to aim for it.
"If the electorate gives her something different to work with, she's got to make that happen," he said.
Mr Humphries said all successful state and territory governments were careful to set themselves apart from the federal government and their own federal party, and Ms Lee understood this point and would be no different.
"That doesn't mean going out of the way to pick fights, but it does mean putting Canberra first and there are a whole host of issues on which those sort of fights will necessarily happen," he said.
Mr Humphries said Ms Lee would need to settle voters' concerns and demonstrate she would lead a Liberal government which shares Canberra values.
"But having done that, she'll move onto things that are actually affecting the quality of life in Canberra," he said.
Mr Humphries said an "It's time" factor would help the Liberals, but Ms Lee was the right leader for the party.
"I think she's got the right approach. She's bypassing big ideological questions and going straight to bread-and-butter issues, and that's the way to do it," Mr Humphries said after Ms Lee addressed a party function on Monday.
Mr Humphries, who served as chief minister for a year and as an ACT senator for a decade, said Ms Lee could not ignore ideological positions within the party to the point of not having a view, but she could focus on other things.
"And I think focusing on the things that matter to Canberrans is what's important," he said.
Mr Humphries declined to comment on his former internal party foe Zed Seselja seeking a seat representing NSW in the Senate.
Asked if Mr Seselja's move across the border was the best thing that's happened to the Canberra Liberals in a long time, Mr Humphries said: "As an ex-politician, I have the privilege of ignoring some questions, and I'll ignore that one."
