The festive season has brought anything but joy for embattled Victorian Liberal leader John Pesutto, as he stares down a challenge to his tenuous grip on the party’s top job. In a dramatic escalation of tensions, Pesutto is set to face a spill motion at a snap party room meeting originally called to vote on readmitting expelled MP Moira Deeming.
Rivals Circle as Pesutto’s Leadership Crumbles
Pesutto’s position has been on shaky ground ever since he lost a high-stakes defamation case brought against him by Deeming. A judge found Pesutto had falsely implied Deeming was associated with neo-Nazis who attended a controversial rally she spoke at. The ruling, which ordered Pesutto to pay Deeming $315,000 plus costs, sent shockwaves through the Victorian Liberals.
In the wake of the court loss, prominent MP Sam Groth quit the Liberal frontbench, citing Pesutto’s refusal to stand down as leader. Groth’s resignation exposed deep rifts within the party and emboldened Pesutto’s critics.
Surprise Challenger Emerges as Leadership Battle Heats Up
On Thursday, first-term MP and opposition finance spokesperson Jess Wilson threw her hat into the ring, announcing she would contest the leadership if the spill motion succeeds. Wilson had previously been touted as a potential deputy to another challenger, Brad Battin, but decided to mount her own bid after a “unity ticket” with Battin failed to materialize.
“If a spill motion is successful tomorrow, I will be a candidate for leader of the state parliamentary Liberal party. Holding Labor accountable for their economic vandalism, and its consequences, and presenting a positive agenda to provide Victorians with a real choice at the next election is what is driving me to stand for the leadership.”
– Victorian Liberal MP Jess Wilson
Wilson’s entry into the race sets the stage for a potentially bruising three-way leadership contest between herself, Battin, and Pesutto. The jockeying for position comes less than two years before a crucial state election that will see Labor seek a rare fourth consecutive term amid growing voter discontent.
Deeming Readmission Vote Morphs into Leadership Referendum
The catalyst for the current crisis was a messy split over whether to readmit Deeming to the party room. Pesutto used his casting vote to block her return, declaring the matter “resolved.” But in a bid to quell internal unrest, he later proposed a January 15 meeting to reconsider the divisive MP’s status.
That olive branch failed to placate Pesutto’s detractors, who seized the opportunity to bring tensions to a head. Five MPs, including Battin and Groth, signed a petition to fast-track the meeting to this Friday – and expanded its agenda to encompass the leadership question.
As rival camps work the phones to shore up support ahead of the showdown, Pesutto faces an uphill battle to maintain his grip on the leadership. If he is toppled, it would cap a turbulent and truncated tenure marked by infighting, scandal, and a failure to capitalize on the Andrews government’s woes.
High Stakes for Victorian Liberals Ahead of Pivotal State Election
The turmoil engulfing the Victorian Liberals comes at a perilous moment for the party as it gears up for a make-or-break campaign to end Labor’s stranglehold on Spring Street. With Premier Daniel Andrews increasingly on the nose with voters, the opposition has a rare opportunity to mount a serious challenge – but only if it can resolve its internal differences and present a united front.
Whoever emerges as leader from Friday’s spill – if indeed Pesutto is rolled – will face the daunting task of rebuilding the party’s shattered morale, crafting a compelling policy platform, and convincing a skeptical electorate that the Liberals are a credible alternative government.
As the Victorian Liberals lurch from one crisis to the next, the stakes couldn’t be higher. The decisions made in the coming days and weeks could determine not just the party’s short-term fortunes, but its long-term future as a political force in Australia’s second-largest state. For John Pesutto, it may already be too late to stem the bleeding.