Explained: Where new Liberal Leader Jess Wilson stands on key issues
In her short parliamentary career new Liberal leader Jess Wilson has broken with her party’s conservative wing on climate and the Indigenous Voice. Here’s where she says she stands now.
The Liberals have elected a fresh-faced MP as their new leader. In her first term, and just 35-years-old, Jess Wilson is pointedly different from the Liberal leaders before her.
This is where she stands on the key issues.
Net Zero
In Ms Wilson’s maiden speech to parliament she spoke about the importance of helping develop a policy agenda to achieve “a net zero economy”.
Since assuming the leadership she still backed the importance of “emissions reduction”, but said her priority was now “spiralling electricity prices”.
Crime
The main focus under the Battin-Liberals, crime remains part of the Liberals’ platform under Jess Wilson.
She said she will make “sensible reforms” to the criminal justice system to tackle the “highest offending on record”.
Health
Ms Wilson has made her priority in health reducing the 58,000-strong number of people on Victoria’s hospital waitlist for planned surgery.
“(Labor is) simply not doing the job to ensure the Victorians are getting access to the services they need.”
Treaty and Voice
In 2023 Ms Wilson was the only Victorian Liberal MP to declare her support for the Indigenous Voice to Parliament, and herself said that she voted “yes” in the referendum.
But she said that she was opposed to the Allan government’s new Treaty.
“We are opposed to Treaty, and we have said that we will repeal, and I have supported that decision.”
Debt and Finances
Ms Wilson was the Shadow Treasurer before assuming her party’s top job, and she has made cutting debt a major focus.
“With net debt growing by over $2m every single hour it is simply not sustainable”
Her solution is to “stop the waste”, citing cost blowouts and the $600m cancellation fee for the Commonwealth Games as key failings by the Allan government.
Education
Before her role as Shadow Treasurer, Ms Wilson was the Liberal’s Shadow Education Minister. In that portfolio she criticised the Allan government for letting Victorian parents “pay more to educate their children compared to the rest of the country”.
“Only a Liberals and Nationals government will remove Labor’s tax on education and make it cheaper for families to send their children to a school of their choice,” she said.
Housing
Ms Wilson quickly moved to make housing central to her policy pitch.
“I want to back in Victorians to get on the property ladder and own their own home.”
“With the highest property taxes in the nation it is simply getting harder and harder every single day for Victorians to even have hope that they will own their own home.”
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