Jess Wilson may challenge for leadership
Others warn that the transaction costs of another leadership change would outweigh the electoral benefits of a switch to Wilson. “It doesn’t matter if Brad is good enough or not,” one lawmaker said. “Another leak will destroy our chances.”
The Liberals have changed leaders five times since Daniel Andrews returned Labor to power in 2014.
Battin’s leadership was widely regarded as “extremely” after a reshuffle in the shadow cabinet last month aimed at halting Wilson’s leadership ambitions, instead disenfranchising some of his own party room supporters. Many sources at the time said Age He cost the votes of at least six MPs who supported him in his leadership coup in December.
Liberal MPs also complained that the opposition had become too one-dimensional under Battin’s leadership in focusing on crime at the expense of other priorities. The risk of this unique approach was made clear last week when the government made a series of law and order announcements that bridged differences between Labor and the Coalition on bail, sentencing, knife crime, youth justice and retail crime.
“It left Brad looking completely flat,” one MP said.
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This criticism came against the background of a series of Resolve Political Monitor polls published by this imprint; these polls show that electoral support for the Coalition has eroded under Battin’s leadership from a likely winning position under his predecessor John Pesutto.
However, the biggest reason for the leak is approaching the end of the parliamentary year. Liberal MPs meet every Tuesday morning during parliamentary session weeks. There are only two sitting weeks left in the year – this week and another two weeks later – before MPs go on summer recess and enter the election year.
If a Liberal MP wants to call for a leadership leak outside a sitting week, he needs the signatures of four more colleagues and must give the party room three days’ notice of an extraordinary meeting.
Although the Liberals showed they were prepared to take extraordinary action against knife-wielding leaders when they ousted Pesutto’s leadership at Christmas, the preference of the majority of MPs is to deal with the leadership issue during ordinary parliamentary business.
A leak this week would also ensure that all MPs are ready to vote. Coincidentally, regional MP Bill Tilley, who decided not to re-contest his seat and stopped attending parliament for health reasons, will be in parliament on Tuesday.
He had no knowledge of an impending leak when this masthead contacted him.
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