Following a successful leadership spill againstBrad Battin,Jess Wilson was elected as leader unopposed.[1] The position of deputy leader was also spilled.Sam Groth was challenged byDavid Southwick. Groth retained his position, winning by 17 votes to 15.[1]
This articleis missing information about other criticisms made against Battin and the Liberal's slipping poll performance. Please expand the article to include this information. Further details may exist on thetalk page.(November 2025)
Following the resignation of senior Liberal MPsMichael O'Brien andDavid Hodgett, on 11 October 2025, a reshuffle ofBattin's shadow ministry occurred.[8] The reshuffle saw three first term MPs,Nicole Werner,Nick McGowan, andRichard Welch.[8][9] It also saw the promotion of former primary challengerJess Wilson to the Shadow Treasurer portfolio, taking over from Battin allyJames Newbury.[10] Battin marketed this as a part of the Victorian coalition's 'fresh start', following a slipping performance in opinion polls.[10] The reshuffle was criticised for promoting factional allies of Battin, rather than deserving individuals within the party.[10]
Renewed leadership tensions ensued from the reshuffle, with bothmoderate andconservative factions expressing unhappiness with the decisions made by Battin.[11] Speculation arose that Wilson or another Liberal MP would challenge Battin, however Wilson initially refused.[11]
On 17 November 2025,ABC News reported that a cross-factional delegation of Liberal MPs informed Battin that he had lost the support of the party room and that it understood that Wilson would nominate for the leadership of the party in a spill the following morning.[12]
^abBowe, William (28 December 2024)."Passing the Battin". The Poll Bludger. Archived fromthe original on 28 December 2024. Retrieved30 December 2024.But whereas Battin had solid support from conservatives, Wilson's maneuvering against Pesutto led to a split among moderates, with Brighton MP James Newbury entering a deal in which he would take Treasury and the unaligned Sam Groth would become deputy. Groth was indeed elected deputy unopposed, replacing another moderate, Caulfield MP David Southwick
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