“It’s not going to be just another staffer,and it certainly won’t be an ex-MP,” one member of the party’s executive said,speaking on the condition of anonymity so they could discuss party matters.
“We need someone with a big future.”
The 2022 election review found the majority of female voters preferred Labor in every age bracket,and the Liberal Party’s vote was the weakest among young women aged 18-34.
Several party sources said the Victorian division was struggling to garner any interest from younger candidates and only a handful of women had expressed an interest in the role.
Three members of the selection committee confirmed that there was an internal push to target talented candidates from other state branches of the Liberal Party,with West Australian director Stuart Smith and deputy federal director Simon Berger expected to be approached about taking on the role.
There is a push from several members of the party’s conservative faction for Jackson Whiteley,a former staffer for federal Liberal MP Michael Sukkar,to apply. Perennial Liberal candidate Asher Judah,who unsuccessfully contested the seat of Ashwood in November,also confirmed toThe Age he would also consider applying.
Judah said the Victorian Liberal Party was at a “change or die moment”. “The Victorian Liberal Party division must bury all hatchets,assemble the best talent on offer,and transform itself into a competitive political machine,” he said.
Whiteley didn’t respond before deadline.
McQuestin,the former state director,signalled his intention to quit before the state election followingdisagreements with then-opposition leader Matthew Guy’s chief of staff,Nick McGowan,and several members of the party’s administrative committee.
In his resignation letter,McQuestin,who was in the role for three years,mentioned the party’s internal woes,and said the state division was facing some “significant challenges”.
Instead of hiring a corporate headhunting group,the party’s selection panel will conduct interviews and recommend a candidate to the administration committee once applications close on January 30.
The job advertisement lists experience in marketing,change management,research,membership engagement and stakeholder management as key to the role.
Mirabella would not comment on how many people had applied for the job but said the electoral challenges facing the party were clear.
He said the Victorian division would not conduct a review into the state election loss in November,saying “nothing new” could be learnt from a new report and the “key issues are the same”.
In lieu of a formal review,Mirabella said the party would call for submissions into the election result,which would be publicly available.
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