Liberal leader Jess Wilson unveils new-look shadow cabinet
Brad Battin has been offered an olive branch in Jess Wilson’s new shadow cabinet but not everyone was so lucky. Meanwhile, the Premier and Deputy Premier launched an attack on Ms Wilson at a Labor campaign rally.
New Opposition Leader Jess Wilson has unveiled her “winning team” shadow cabinet one year out from the election, with one former leader making the cut while another remains on the backbench.
Ms Wilson will stay on as shadow treasurer as she forges ahead with her razor sharp focus on budget management with state debt expected to hit $194bn by 2028-2029.
Former cop Brad Battin, who was rolled by Ms Wilson in a carefully executed leadership coup just two weeks ago, will remain in the shadow cabinet, taking over the police and corrections portfolio in a reshuffle that has kept his predecessor on the outer.
Despite Ms Wilson previously backing John Pesutto, including through his damaging defamation battle with Moira Deeming, the former leader did not make the cut.
It is understood Mr Pesutto had been vying to return to shadow cabinet after sitting on the backbench for 12 months since he was overthrown by Mr Battin last December.
But key figures within the party had warned Ms Wilson not to bring him back in until an ongoing Supreme Court battle over his $1.55m loan from the party was finalised.
David Southwick, who has handled police and corrections since January, will switch to planning and housing and building.
The move will see conservative figure Richard Riordan relegated to the backbench.
Fellow conservative MP Renee Heath is one of the biggest winners in the reshuffle after being promoted to shadow minister for youth justice and crime prevention and victim support, as well a new portfolio of bay protection.
Ms Heath was one of five MPs from across the party’s factions who met with Mr Battin on the eve of the leadership spill to inform him he had lost the support of most of his party colleagues.
Notably, former shadow treasurer Brad Rowswell – a key ally of Ms Wilson’s – who had been demoted under Mr Battin will take over the education portfolio.
James Newbury, who was moved from shadow treasurer to shadow attorney-general during a reshuffle just six weeks ago under Mr Battin, will remain in the role.
He will also take the position of shadow special minister of state.
Former leader Matthew Guy will switch from major projects to public transport and ports and freight.
This will mean Ms Wilson will have two of three former leaders contesting the next election in her shadow cabinet.
Rising star and social media sensation Nicole Werner will be stripped of youth justice but has been promoted to shadow minister for home ownership and housing affordability – a key priority for Ms Wilson heading into the election.
She will also retain the youth and children’s portfolios.
Longtime shadow health minister, former nurse Georgie Crozier, will remain in the role.
Deputy upper house leader Evan Mulholland, who was temporarily given education as Ms Wilson was moved to shadow treasurer in October, will take on transport infrastructure, formerly major projects, and keep multicultural and multifaith affairs.
David Davis, who was replaced by Bev McArthur as upper house leader following the spill, will still remain in charge of energy and resources.
The major reshuffle ahead of the final week of parliament for the year, comes two weeks after Ms Wilson dethroned Mr Battin following a successful spill.
The new leadership team brings together key figures from rival groupings within the Liberal Party, with Ms Wilson claiming the move would unify the party following years of infighting.
Unlike when Mr Battin took power, it is understood that promises for frontbench positions were not made in order to secure votes, leaving Ms Wilson free to build her team without having to settle debts.
Ms Wilson said on Sunday: “I know that this is going to be a winning team.”
She also singled out Ms Battin, saying “it feels right” to put him into the police and corrections role.
“Brad has so much to offer and as a former police officer I absolutely know that it feels right putting him into that role,” she said.
Ms Wilson is not the first political leader to appoint herself as shadow treasurer, although it has been rare in Victoria.
Former Labor premier Steve Bracks held the position of treasurer briefly in late 1999 and early 2000 while former West Australian premier Mark McGowan also held both roles while at the helm.
Ms Wilson, speaking at a housing estate in Cranbourne on Sunday to promote her focus on home ownership, said she was confident she could handle the huge workload.
“I’m the best person to take this forward,” she said.
“I’m excited about the opportunity to be the shadow treasurer because getting the books under control is the most important thing we can do as an alternative government and then as a good government in the coming years.
“If we don’t fix the finances in this state if we don’t stop net debt growing by $2m every single hour, we cannot fix the crime crisis, we can’t invest in the 2000 Victoria Police vacant officers, we cannot ensure Victorians get access to quality healthcare and we cannot provide the tax relief that is going to be so critically important to ensuring people can buy their own homes.”
Pressed over why Mr Pesutto had not been brought back into the fold, Ms Wilson said she believed the revamped team would give the Coalition the best chance to win.
“The team I have put forward is the team we are going to take to the next election,” she said.
“John has a lot to contribute and he will be contributing that on the ground in Hawthorn, making sure that we sell that message right across the state.”
Mr Southwick, who was among a group of MPs at the press conference, said while he had thrown his “heart and soul” into the police and corrections portfolio it made “absolute sense” for Mr Battin to take over due to his experience in the force.
“What we’re about is putting the best people forward for the job,” he said.
“That’s what we need.”
Premier’s pep talk to Labor faithful
On the same day Opposition Leader Ms Wilson announced her new shadow cabinet, the Labor Party and its members gathered in Melbourne’s CBD for a rally, marking one year until the 2026 state election.
The party and its supporters convened at the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation Victorian branch on Saturday morning.
Premier Jacinta Allan immediately seized the opportunity to target the Liberal Party, particularly on the morning of the Metro Tunnel’s official opening.
“A few moments ago I stepped off a Victorian-made train that the Liberals said would never exist,” she told the cheering crowd.
“It went through a tunnel that they called a hoax. And stopped at a platform in a station they swore would divide our city like the Berlin Wall.”
The Premier concluded her address with a fervent call to action, urging her supporters to help the party achieve an unprecedented fourth consecutive term in government.
“So friends, I’m asking you, each and every one of you, to lend your voice, your time, your belief, and over the next year get out there,” she implored.
“On the phones, at the doors, in the street, in every community across our state. Not just telling our story, but reminding every Victorian what’s at stake. Our hospitals, our schools, our security, our future.”
Deputy Premier Ben Carroll also took the stage, directing his criticism towards Opposition Leader Jess Wilson and the Liberal Party’s potential policies should they come to power.
“What do we know about Jess Wilson? The latest in the revolving door of Liberal Leaders?” he questioned.
“We know she’s someone who has already vowed to cut $11.1 billion out of the Victorian budget. But Jess Wilson won’t front up and admit to how she’s going to pay for her budget black hole.
“That’s because she knows she’ll be cutting the very things that Victorian families rely on. Things like quality health care, world-class schools in education.”
Originally published as Liberal leader Jess Wilson unveils new-look shadow cabinet
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