Liberal values are key to success

New Victorian Liberal leader Brad Battin has been clear on his priorities. They are to tackle crime, fix the budget and reduce taxes. His parliamentary colleagues must fall in behind this agenda and leave behind the divisions under which John Pesutto’s ambitions to become premier evaporated.

Mr Pesutto lost his way on the Moira Deeming affair, which is now back to square one following her return to the partyroom. The lesson is that cultural issues are not the core business of good government or opposition. Good economic management must be the focus.

Building prosperity, reducing the barriers to enterprise and keeping people safe are what voters expect and deserve. Mr Battin is clear on what he believes are the Liberals’ core values. “I believe if you work hard, you should be rewarded. I believe in lean governments that interfere less with our lives and businesses. I believe in rewarding those who try rather than trying to put in limits and preventing attempts,” the new Opposition Leader says. Victorians need an opposition they can vote for as an alternative to Labor’s decade-long rule under Daniel Andrews and Jacinta Allan that has left the state vulnerable in a sea of debt.

Mr Battin did not get an uncontested run to the Victorian Liberal leadership position but this must not diminish his authority. The stakes could not be higher, for the state and the nation. As national political editor Simon Benson writes in Inquirer, Victoria is a state in economic and political revolt. It represents one of the greatest electoral dangers for Anthony Albanese. Where Western Australia delivered Mr Albanese victory in 2022, Victoria could snatch it away in 2025. Mr Battin must demonstrate to voters there exists a clear choice.