Saying little hasn’t saved Brad Battin from Deeming-Pesutto crisis

Victorian Liberal Opposition Leader Brad Battin is seen during a press conference in May. Picture: Luis Enrique Ascui / NewsWire

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By picking his way through the Deeming-Pesutto minefield by not taking a strong public position on the proposed bailout, Brad Battin hopes to avoid political wounds.

In one sense, Battin’s decision to say as little as possible about the $1.5m lifeline to save John Pesutto – and the party from a potentially damaging by-election – is understandable.

Presumably, Battin would prefer to see the bailout get the greenlight. It’s certainly in the interests of his six-month-old leadership to avoid a by-election in Hawthorn.

But if he publicly aligns himself with the seven-figure rescue deal he risks alienating the pro-Moira Deeming MPs who helped vote him into the leadership. But this is the Victorian Liberal Party and sitting in no-man’s land also carries political risks.

In doing so, Battin has managed to infuriate pro-Pesutto figures in the party room, on the administrative committee and in the broader Liberal movement who support saving the ex-opposition leader.

So by saying as little as possible, Battin still finds himself bleeding; the question is whether the events of Thursday night will staunch the flow or turn it into a haemorrhage.

As party leader, Battin holds a seat on the administrative committee. Either he, or his proxy, are expected to attend the critical meeting.

Former state opposition leader and the Liberal member for Hawthorn, John Pesutto. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

Liberals say Battin will have to break cover as the 19-member governing body considers, and votes on, the Pesutto bailout. Traditionally, admin committee votes are not a secret ballot. Given Battin said on Tuesday he doesn’t believe this will be Pesutto’s last week in parliament, he is planning to back the deal. But he hasn’t exactly been leading the public campaign to support the proposal.

Without a rescue deal Pesutto faces bankruptcy over his court-ordered legal debt to Deeming in the wake of her successful defamation action. And this would oust him from parliament and trigger an unwanted by-election.

This would present a real danger to Battin’s leadership. Already, there is chatter among Liberal MPs expressing concerns about his style, despite him leading the party to a victory in the Prahran by-election in February and seeing Labor get almost defeated in the Werribee by-election the same day. He’s started releasing policies too, around housing and tax.

But the party has been a treacherous jungle for decades and, combined with the toxic Deeming-Pesutto crisis, Thursday night shapes as a threat to his grip on power.

Some Liberals have already started talking up Matthew Guy returning to the leadership for a third attempt at winning an election (echoing Jeff Kennett. who lost elections in 1985 and 1988, but won in 1992). Others are more supportive of Jess Wilson being thrown the gig.

Plenty of Liberals were saying on Tuesday there was still a “lot of moving parts” and the fate of the Pesutto rescue deal remained uncertain. But there is one certain winner in all this: Jacinta Allan.