Writing on the Wall for Liberal Leader John Pesutto
Liberal leader John Pesutto faces mounting pressure as internal strife grows, with a potential leadership challenge looming on the horizon
Victoria, John Pesutto, Brad Battin, Moira Deeming, Liberal Party, Election
Melbourne: Things are heating up for John Pesutto, the Liberal leader in Victoria. It looks like a former cop, Brad Battin, is the top contender to take over. The pressure is on after some shadow cabinet ministers called for another special meeting.
Pesutto’s been in hot water lately. He voted against letting expelled MP Moira Deeming back into the party, which didn’t sit well with many. He thought he had it all sorted, but now he’s proposing a meeting in January to discuss her return.
Things got messy when a court found Pesutto had defamed Deeming, which only added fuel to the fire. Senior Liberal MPs are pushing for a meeting to sort this out, and it seems like a leadership challenge could happen soon.
One of Pesutto’s allies hinted that if a challenge doesn’t happen over the holidays, he might be safe for now. But if it does, well, it’s game over for him. The stakes are high with a state election coming up in less than two years.
Brad Battin, who narrowly lost to Pesutto in a previous leadership vote, is now in a prime position to step in. He’s been around the block, having run against the former leader Michael O’Brien too.
The drama started when Pesutto made some comments linking Deeming to Nazis after a rally she attended. She was initially suspended but later booted from the party after threatening to sue him. The court ruled in her favor, and now Pesutto has to pay up.
Last Friday, a vote to bring Deeming back fell short, which just shows how divided the party is. Pesutto has acknowledged the need to resolve this and apologized to Deeming, hoping to unite the party for the upcoming election in November 2026.