Victoria’s Liberal opposition has dramatically voted its ousted colleague Moira Deeming back into the fold with a landslide majority of 23 votes to 4, and party leader John Pesutto has been replaced.
Police spokesperson Brad Battin will now lead the party after defeating MP Jess Wilson and Mornington MP Chris Crewther, who announced their bid for the top job.
Former party leader Michael O’Brien told reporters he would rather be in cricket than in the party room, but stressed the need for unity.
“Unless we can win and keep government, we will not be able to improve the freedom, prosperity and security of Victorians or Australians,” Mr O’Brien said.
“So we just have to dig in, support whatever decision is made today and win the next election for Victoria.”
Former professional tennis player and Nepe MP Sam Groth was elected deputy party leader.
Opposition finance spokeswoman Jess Wilson had announced her candidacy after a deal to become leadership leader Brad Battin’s deputy was scrapped.
“The best way to defeat Jacinta Allan and the Labor Party was with unified leadership,” Ms Wilson said. Mrs. Wilson was eliminated in the first round of leadership voting.
Moira Deeming has triumphantly returned to the Liberal Party parliamentary chamber
Brad Battin (centre) is the new leader of the Victorian opposition
Battin is a former police officer and former Bakers Delight franchisee.
Pesutto’s work had been on shaky ground since he lost a defamation case brought against him by his former colleague Moira Deeming.
A Federal Court judge found the Liberal leader defamed Ms Deeming by implying she was associated with Nazis who stormed a controversial Melbourne rally she was at and ordered him to pay her $315,000 and costs.
Then came a surprise when former tennis player turned politician Mr Groth resigned from his shadow cabinet position, citing his leader’s refusal to resign after the court defeat.
A party vote, held less than a week later to decide whether Ms. Deeming would be allowed to return to the game, divided the team down the center, with Mr. Pesutto casting the tie-breaking vote to prevent her from returning.
The Hawthorn MP deemed the matter “resolved” only to propose a meeting on January 15 to return the upper house MP to the fold a day later.
But that last attempt to quell tensions failed, and senior MPs Groth, Richard Riordan, James Newbury, Battin and Bridget Vallence signed a petition to meet on Friday to bring the issue to a head.
The battle to lead Victoria’s opposition comes less than two years before a crucial state election in which the Labor government, increasingly under voters’ noses, will seek a rare fourth term.