Victoria’s Liberals are preparing for another leadership change with just 12 months to go until the state election.
Opposition leader Brad Battin is facing a leadership spill less than a year after taking the top job, with a challenge expected from Kew MP Jess Wilson.
That could come as early as Tuesday morning when a Liberal party room meeting is scheduled to be held.
Wilson, a former staffer to the ex-Liberal treasurer Josh Frydenberg and a Business Council of Australia executive, would become the first female leader of the Victorian Liberals if successful.
A delegation of Victorian Liberal MPs visited Battin on Monday to inform him he had lost the support of the party room, with others then calling him to say the same.
“I’d be very surprised if Brad doesn’t step down before (Tuesday),” one Liberal source told the Australian Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
In a Monday night interview with Channel Nine, deputy leader Sam Groth affirmed that Battin would continue his role as leader, stating “absolutely” when questioned about the matter. His remarks come at a pivotal moment for the Victorian Liberals, who are contemplating significant changes in their leadership structure.
Amidst this backdrop, Jess Wilson is emerging as a potential candidate to become the first female leader of the Victorian Liberals. Her leadership could mark a historic shift for the party, which has been seeking a resurgence after being out of power for the majority of the 21st century.
When pressed about his future as leader, Battin offered a noncommittal response, saying “only time will tell.” This uncertainty highlights the ongoing challenges faced by the Liberals and Nationals in Victoria, who have managed to secure power for only four years since the year 2000.
If Battin were to fall, the party would have its fifth leader since September 2021.
The Victorian machinations follow increasing speculation federal leader Sussan Ley could face a challenge, after internal pressure to ditch the party’s net-zero emissions policy.
Ley and the federal coalition formally abandoned that policy over the weekend.
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