Latrobe Valley welcomes John Pesutto’s elevation to Victorian Liberal leadership

The Latrobe Valley’s Italian-Australian community have welcomed John Pesutto’s elevation to the Victorian Liberal leadership.

Victoria’s new opposition leader John Pesutto has made history as the first Italian-Australian to lead a major party on Spring Street.

The 52-year-old lawyer was appointed by Liberal Party colleagues yesterday morning, the 14th leader of the party since its creation eight decades ago.

Mr Pesutto is the fourth out of 14 Victorian Liberal leaders to hail from regional Victoria – following inaugural leader Tom Hollway, Sir Henry Bolte, Alan Brown and Denis Napthine.

“We’ve just had an election and although that election has sorted out the results, I want to make it clear the challenges we face as a state remain,” the new leader said.

“We will be a constructive opposition, but we will apply scrutiny where it is necessary.”

The Hawthorn MP’s father immigrated to Australia in 1961 and his mother arrived in 1963, both from Calabria in southern Italy.

Born in Traralgon in 1970, his father was an electrician and his mother was a machinist at McArthur’s shoe factory.

He studied at Traralgon’s Catholic Regional College in the mid 1980s before undertaking a double degree in law and commerce at Melbourne University.

Mr Pesutto’s Gippsland connections were rekindled early in his political career, working as an adviser to federal MP Russell Broadbent in the mid-1990s.

New Victorian Opposition leader John Pesutto at Parliament House in Melbourne with new Deputy David Southwick, Georgie Crozier and Matthew Bach. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Andrew Henshaw

Former Italian Australian Coordinating Committee of Gippsland president Silvana Summerfield said many in the Latrobe Valley would be pleased with Mr Pesutto’s elevation.

“It’s a big deal for the Italian-Australian community, or the Australian-Italian community, which ever way you want to say it,” she told The Weekly Times.

“But it’s also great news for the Latrobe Valley. John is a lovely person. I think he’ll do well- he’s a great communicator and always had an optimistic outlook on life.”

Italian Australian Club treasurer Frank D’Urbano invited Mr Pesutto to stop by the popular Morwell venue in the coming weeks.

“I think he’ll do well in the new job. It’s great he’s got that connection to the Latrobe Valley,” he said.

“It’s good for the Italian-Australian community as well. If he’s heading this way, he’s welcome to stop by.”

Mr Pesutto defeated Berwick MP Brad Battin for the top job in a party room vote by a close margin.

Two other contenders — Polwarth MP Richard Riordan and Warrandyte MP Ryan Smith – dropped out before today’s ballot.

Caulfield MP David Southwick was re-elected as deputy Liberal leader at today’s party room meeting. Georgie Crozier and Matt Bach were appointed as upper house leader and deputy leader respectively.

Nearly all of Victoria’s major party leaders over the generations have an Anglo-Celtic background.

However, former Labor premier Steve Bracks has a Lebanese-Australian ancestry and outgoing opposition leader Matthew Guy’s mother’s family hailed from Ukraine.

Following his victory today, Mr Pesutto said he wanted more multicultural members to enter the Liberal party room.

“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.”