Michael O’Brien set to lead Liberal Party after Victorian election loss

Former state treasurer Michael O’Brien appears set to take leadership of the Victorian Liberals. It comes after a 71-year-old retired naval officer who has never learnt to drive ended the leadership hopes of John Pesutto.

Former state treasurer Michael O’Brien appears set to take leadership of the Victorian Liberals and begin the mammoth task of rebuilding a shattered party room.

Mr O’Brien has emerged as the only likely candidate out of just 29 Liberals who will make up the state parliamentary team.

In a final blow to a state election annihilation, the party’s other main leadership contender John Pesutto conceded his seat to Labor’s John Kennedy — a 71-year-old retired naval officer.

VICTORIAN LIBERALS FACE LEADERSHIP NIGHTMARE

THE MP WHO LOST HIS SEAT ON LIVE TV

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Michael O'Brien is expected to become Opposition Leader. AAP Image/David Crosling

Mr Kennedy said on Wednesday one of his passions would be improving transport options in Melbourne, admitting he never learnt to drive.

New Hawthorn MP John Kennedy. AAP Image/Stefan Postles

“Behind my wife, my family and friends, my greatest love is the 75 tram and the train from Hawthorn station,” he said.

On his way out the door Mr Pesutto congratulated Mr Kennedy and gave his own party some sage advice about developing a broader agenda.

“We will be at our most successful in the Liberal Party when we understand better that you can be conservative and believe that climate change is important, you can be a progressive and believe in strong law and order,” he said.

“There is no hard and fast rule about what you can be.”

In another blow to the state opposition, Louise Staley appears to have lost the seat of Ripon by 31 votes, meaning only three Liberal women will be in the Legislative Assembly.

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LIBERAL REBUILD MUST SUPPORT BROADER CHURCH: PESUTTO

A Liberal leadership contender, who will bow out of the race after losing his seat, says his teen daughter’s approach to climate change highlights the party’s rebuild challenge.

John Pesutto, who first learnt his “safe” seat of Hawthorn in Melbourne’s inner east was in danger live on television, said the Liberals must better mediate differences between conservative and moderate traditions to be successful again.

This means being “open enough to avoid putting restrictions on when and how people can support the party’s cause”.

The shadow attorney-general said his daughter made him reflect on the party’s respect for values and differences of supporters — including on environmental issues — when she announced she would join the climate change protest in the CBD.

“Our only question to our daughter was, ‘happy and proud to support whatever you want to do, just tell us it’s your decision and your decision alone to go’,” he said.

Victorian Liberal party member for Hawthorn John Pesutto (right) and staff arriving at Parliament House in Melbourne. Picture: AAP/David Crosling

“Our daughters are very strong-willed people and she made it clear what her decision was.”

Mr Pesutto said his daughter supports her dad being in the party he is, doesn’t think the Greens “have the solutions”, and doesn’t support the Labor Party.

“Here’s the challenge: we have people who support us and want to support us but they might have different views on things. We have to be open enough to avoid putting restrictions on when and how people can support the party’s cause,” he said.

“We will be at our most successful in the Liberal Party when we understand better that you can be conservative and believe that climate change is important, you can be a progressive and believe in strong law and order. There is no hard and fast rule about what you can be.”

Mr Pesutto said voters who told him they were turning off the Liberal Party “were looking for those positions on issues that at least understood and appreciated that they had those concerns”.

“People who were conservative or even moderate raised issues like climate with me. They didn’t want us to emulate the other parties, they just wanted something from us,” he said.

“The drug injecting room was another one people raised with me.

“Although it had passed, the time it took to get to the same-sex (marriage) vote and legislation was another issue that came up.”

Departing Victorian Liberal member for Hawthorn John Pesutto. Picture: AAP/ David Crosling

He said he believed the Liberals can be great again, but would need to address the falling number of women involved in the party.

One solution down the track could be quotas for preselections, but Mr Pesutto said that only works if women were there in the first place.

“We often don’t even get to first base. We need a culture and environment that’s more inviting (to women),” he said.

“We do need to be more diverse.”

Mr Pesutto wouldn’t rule out a comeback — either in the seat of Hawthorn at the next election or the upper house if the opportunity arose — and said he had been blown away by the support he received after hearing live on television that he may lose his seat.

And he had wise words for politicians left in state parliament.

“(Voters) just want you to be you,” he said.

“If you are just humble enough to occasionally concede that something might not be right, be gracious in acknowledging the success of a rival or opponent, (or) deal in a conversational way with people,” he said.

“At a difficult time it’s reinforced my belief that if you are just prepared to be normal — people are thirsting for that.”