John Pesutto wins race to lead Victorian Liberal Party amid hopes for a party resurrection

Newly elected Victorian Liberal Party leader John Pesutto has said he wants to rebuild the party and thinks he can win the 2026 election.

The Victorian Liberals have elected John Pesutto as their new leader with hopes he can resurrect the party from its devastating election defeat.

He returns to parliament after four years away from politics having lost his safe seat of Hawthorn at the 2018 election.

David Southwick was re-elected deputy leader, fending off a challenge from Warrandyte MP Ryan Smith.

He has served in the role since September, with sources saying he impressed colleagues in that time.

“It’s all down to his facilitating of communication between candidates and HQ during the election,” a source said.

“He is well liked by all.”

In the upper house, shadow health minister Georgie Crozier will lead the party, supported by Matt Bach in the deputy role.

The final result was a narrow win by Mr Pesutto, winning 17 votes to Mr Battin’s 16.

John Pesutto says it’s vital the Coalition works together. Picture: David Crosling

When asked about this split in the partyroom, the Hawthorn MP said he wanted to unify the party again.

“We all know that coming out of a really painful election result we’ve got to work together,” he said.

“People have different views. Those views need to be respected and they need to be heard and acted upon.

“So I expect and embrace the idea that there are going to be different views about how we go forward.

“ My job as leader and my determination as leader is to make sure everybody can be a part of that discussion.”

Mr Pesutto said he thought he could win the 2026 election and that he wanted to rebuild the party making sure it spoke to a broad group of Victorians.

This included clawing heartland seats back from Labor and building on major swings against the party in the north and west.

“We’ve got to build our organisational strength and spend more time in those communities and that work has already started,” he said.

“There are massive opportunities not just to represent them but to give them better service, many of these communities have been neglected.

“We’re going to take it up to the government everywhere.”

Mr Pesutto said he agreed the party needed more female MPs and was open to ideas, but did not commit to introducing quotas.

He said he also wanted more multicultural members to enter the partyroom.

“I want to see more people from diverse backgrounds endorsed and to take their seats in parliament and I’m confident that’s going to happen over the next few years.”

Victorian Opposition Leader John Pesutto with David Southwick and Georgie Crozier. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

When asked if he would maintain the party’s position of shelving the Suburban Rail Loop, Mr Pesutto said all policies will be subject to review.

“But that doesn’t mean we won’t apply scrutiny in the meantime,” he said.

“Whatever Daniel Andrews has a mandate for doing, he does not have a mandate for doing badly.

“So please understand that as an opposition, in the interest of Victorians, we’re going to call out mismanagement where it occurs.

Mr Pesutto also said he had learned from the experience of losing his seat in 2018, finding out on live television on election night.

“I lost my seat, as many of you know, in interesting circumstances,” he said.

“But over the last four years, I’ve had a chance to really reflect on how I can do better, how I can be a stronger advocate for the things we believe in.

“So it’s given me a chance to assess and reassess how I might relate even more persuasively to the Victorian people

“I come back into the parliament, knowing how important it is to get that second chance.”

Conservative members had backed Brad Battin. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

Mr Pesutto beat Berwick MP Brad Battin in a race for the top job.

He is the party’s fifth leader since Daniel Andrews secured the leadership of the Victorian ALP in 2010.

Today’s leadership ballot was the third since March last year, when Mr Battin unsuccessfully challenged Michael O’Brien for the job.

It was sparked by the resignation of Matthew Guy, who refused to speak to media today, following last month’s disastrous election loss.

He said today he was proud to be a Liberal, and vowed to give Mr Pesutto his full support.

“We are all friends within the party room,” he said.

“The one thing I committed to at the start of this challenge was to ensure it was kept clean and that my integrity stayed in place.

“I walk out of the party room today with my integrity in place.

“I will back John Pesutto 100 per cent. I will get behind him.

“The oinly message I send to all of my colleagues is get behind John.

“I’m a proud Liberal, I believe in our values and I believe in our future.”

Mr Pesutto has vowed to move the party forward in a unified way.

Matthew Guy has told some colleagues he has no ambition to ever lead the party again. Picture: David Caird

Former Liberal strategist Tony Barry, now a director with polling firm RedBridge Group, said the party made the right choice.

“In all of our polling, John Pesutto has a strong personal brand underpinned by shared values with the Victorian community,” he said.

“Too many Liberals spend all their time only talking to other Liberals and convince themselves that’s what mainstream Victorians think.

“Voters aren’t interested in labels or culture wars. They are interested in shared values and how those values are personally relevant to them and how they translate into real world results.

“The Liberal Party can only rebuild its brand by preselecting candidates that represent the Victorian community and then building a long term values-based narrative with the electorate.

“Liberals also need to get over their Messiah complex where they expect a leader to deliver them to the promised land without the inconvenience of hard work and ideas.

“Liberal MPs now need to unite and work hard to support John Pesutto without the undermining and destabilizing that happened under Michael O’Brien. Those MPs that undermined Michael O’Brien all partly own last month’s result.”

However other party sources questioned Mr Pesutto’s elevation to the top spot.

“This result is a victory for the status quo,” one source close to the Battin camp said.

“A victory for those more interested in preserving their parliamentary salaries than advancing the Party’s electoral fortunes.

“Considering no one in the Party has seen him outside of Hawthorn for the past 4 years, Pesutto needs to demonstrate that he can appeal to the tens of thousands of former Labor supporters in the west and south-eastern suburbs who voted Liberal for the first time this election. His well-heeled constituents are no longer representative of the Liberal base.

“Pesutto must prove to the Party that his leadership and decision making will be informed by more than the 106 votes that separate him from his teal opponent.”