Victorian Liberal party ousts Brad Battin to install Jess Wilson as first female leader

First-term MP Jess Wilson has become the first woman to lead the Victorian Liberal party after defeating Brad Battin in a leadership challenge on Tuesday morning. The majority of the party room rallied behind the 35-year-old shadow treasurer after a group of senior MPs told Brattin he had lost their support on Monday afternoon. The Victorian Liberals have now had three leaders in less than a year as they seek to put aside internal divisions and unite ahead of the November 2026 state election. Wilson, a former adviser to one-time federal treasurer Josh Frydenberg, outlined four clear priorities for the Victorian Liberals after emerging from the leadership spill. Related: News Corp apologises to Victorian Liberal MP Sam Groth and wife over relationship claims “One, to get the budget back on track,” Wilson said. “Two, to end the crime crisis. Three, to make sure Victorians can create access to the healthcare they need and deserve. And four, to give every Victorian best opportunity to own their own home in this state.” Sign up: AU Breaking News email Wilson, who has described herself as “a small l” Liberal, is a former president of the Victorian Young Liberals and the daughter of former Liberal MP Ron Wilson. She has also worked as a policy adviser at the Business Council of Australia. She is seen by her supporters as someone who can comfortably talk about the economy and the cost of living, while having the best chance of uniting the party. Some Liberals who supported the leadership change had raised concerns that Battin had become “a one-trick pony” on crime. They argued his campaign on this issue was diluted by Jacinta Allan’s decision to allow 14-year-olds to serve adult jail sentences. Wilson unsuccessfully ran against Battin for leadership in late December. On Monday night, her supporters were eager to brief the media that she had been encouraged to run, rather than plotting a challenge. Outside the party room, Wilson said Victorian voters now had a clear choice before the state election. “A choice between retired out-of-touch Labor government or a new generation [of Liberals] with me as leader,” Wilson said. Senior Liberals have emphasised Wilson’s economic and policy experience, but they have also referenced her gender and how she’d present “a very different and compelling face for the Victorian Liberal party”. Wilson was elected at the 2022 state election to represent the affluent seat of Kew in Melbourne’s inner eastern suburbs. She has ties to the rightwing thinktank the Institute of Public Affairs and is a close ally of Liberal frontbencher James Paterson. Wilson was appointed to the shadow treasury portfolio last month in a reshuffle that destablised Battin’s support in the party room. Battin, a former police officer, replaced former leader John Pesutto in late December, when his position became untenable after losing a defamation case against his upper-house colleague Moira Deeming. Battin’s subsequent support for a loan to ensure Pesutto avoid bankruptcy and pay Deeming’s costs enraged sections of the party, which launched a legal challenge to stop it. But it was Battin’s performance as leader in recent months that convinced supporters to consider replacing him before the end of the parliamentary year. Before the vote, Liberal MP Kim Wells said the party had lost its way and needed renewal. “I think there has been a lot of unfortunate mistakes place over the last few months and that’s how we’ve got to this situation,” Wells said. Speaking after the vote, Battin said he was “proud of the role and the things that I’ve done for the community”. “The Victorian Liberal party needs to make sure it’s on a path to ensure that we can get into power at the next election,” Battin said. “Politics isn’t about just being inside the parliament, it’s about the people.”