By any political logic, the Victorian Labor government’s re-election prospects should be well and truly cooked. Its dismal economic legacy alone should have it eking out the remainder of its term with its many failings relentlessly pursued by an agile, optimistic opposition.

Instead, Victorian Liberals are so preoccupied with their own spectacular internal brawling, including court cases, that it makes their federal colleagues seem a model of political self-discipline. Most Victorian voters don’t consider the Liberals a serious option despite the damage done by Labor’s 11 years in office.