Time for a fresh start in Victoria

Unplanned political exits are seldom pretty but it is difficult to imagine a more tortured and lingering demise than what has befallen Victorian Liberal Party leader John Pesutto. Unfortunately, he has been the architect of his own downfall, and the biggest losers have been the state’s long-suffering voters who have been denied a credible alternative as Victoria’s finances have been pillaged by a Labor government operating in cahoots with corrupt construction unions.

It is up to the parliamentary Liberal Party to decide who it wants to be its leader. But Victorians deserve a new start and this begins with an opposition leader who has enough clear air to set an agenda that voters can believe in.

As Victorian editor Damon Johnston wrote on Monday, Mr Pesutto had finally reached an understanding that his days were numbered. He was weighing his options but resigned to the fact his time as leader was coming to an end. Unless Mr Pesutto jumps beforehand, former police officer and opposition police spokesman Brad Battin is likely to be elected opposition leader at a party room meeting set for Friday. It will be the final act in a tragedy set off by Mr Pesutto’s attack on novice politician Moira Deeming over her show of support at a controversial pro-women rally. After losing a $315,000 defamation action taken against him and facing hundreds of thousands of dollars more in legal fees, Mr Pesutto, incredibly, used his casting vote to block Mrs Deeming’s return to the fold.

A backflip on that decision – regardless of whether it was the right call or not – shredded any credibility and authority left in Mr Pesutto’s political tank. Mr Pesutto said he hung on because he believed he was delivering results against the Allan government. Given the dire state of Victoria’s budgetary position and the cost pressures being heaped on small business and households, the results achieved by Mr Pesutto have been too little, too late. His leadership has been swamped by controversy over issues that are far removed from the everyday concerns of most people. The fact the Victorian Liberals have been unable to make a significant dent in Labor’s standing, first under Daniel Andrews and then Jacinta Allan, across consecutive state elections exposes the deep problems at the core of conservative forces in the nation’s second-most populous state.

Similar divisions exist for the Liberals in other jurisdictions. But the Liberal National Party’s success in Queensland shows clearly that voters will respond positively when given the choice of a disciplined and united alternative over more of the same from a tired government after a decade in office. A refresh is what Victoria needs. The challenge facing the state financially is the same as the one that existed after a decade of Labor under John Cain and Joan Kirner between 1982 and 1992. The task of revitalisation then was taken up by a determined Jeff Kennett. Unfortunately, there is little to suggest that a new-era Kennett is waiting in the wings.

Mr Battin was elected MP for Gembrook in 2010 and when that seat was abolished he was elected in the seat of Berwick in 2022. Before entering politics he was a police officer and owned a small business franchise. These are good qualities that are often missing in the current crop of politicians, many of whom have little real-world experience outside party politics.

If he gets the job, Mr Battin must be given the space and authority he needs to build a case for change in government. Unfortunately, this remains far from certain. Even as Mr Battin built his case to lead, the state opposition was again in turmoil, with moderates concerned they would be excluded from the new leadership team. Jockeying for advantage is a normal part of the political process when change is afoot. But at some point the Liberals in Victoria must focus on the real competition – the Labor Party.

Unless they can sort out their own internal divisions, the Victorian Liberals will not be the potent force they need to be. And voters will continue to be the losers.