Behind closed doors,Pesutto’s staff repeatedly butted heads with National Party MPs and staff who accused them of leaking and a lack of consultation.
Loading
Simmering tensions were put aside in October when Liberal and Nationals MPs met to discuss tactics and receive a rev up from three-time premiership coach Mick Malthouse
But any message Malthouse delivered about working as a team evaporated within days. There were allegations of leaks to journalists on theirtreaty backflip,a fight over strategy and a barney about the spoils of opposition.
Keen observers of opposition press releases will have noticed that in the last term of government,Walsh – as Nationals leader – also held the title of “deputy leader of the opposition”.
Shortly after the 2022 election,that title navigated to Liberal David Southwick’s letterhead under some sort of agreement between the pair as they divvied up the limited allowances,chauffeur and titles that come with the role.
But the matter reared its ugly head again recently when the “DLOP” position seemingly evaporating altogether after the Nationals challenged its use. Petty stuff,but it’s indicative of just how bitter things have become.
In late January,Liberal MPs gathered in Bendigo for another three day love-in without the Nats.
With their collective backs turned,some Liberal MPs used the second morning of the team building exercise to unleash on members of the junior Coalition partner.
You might think it’d be hard to find fault in a political party that has kept the same leader for a decade and,on polling day in 2022,recorded its best result since 1943.
Yet there they were,complaining about the National Party’s poor work ethic,its apparent over-represention in the shadow ministry and the need for a new Coalition agreement,despite the fact it doesn’t expire until 2026.
Loading
While anger is coming from both sides of the Coalition,a handful of Liberals MPs appear to be enticed by the greener pastures of National Party electorates and have begun openly discussing defecting to the other side,according to half a dozen Coalition sources.
Among those toying with the idea of jumping ship,some MPs appear fed up with the divisions within the Liberal Party and others see it as a way to bring on a leadership spill without reducing the numbers in the Coalition. There is also at least one MP keeping it as an insurance policy if they fail to secure Liberal preselection.
Whatever their mixed motivations,even one defection would diminish Pesutto’s precarious authority over the opposition and bring an end to his leadership.
Pesutto remains sanguine in the face of mounting leadership speculation. He knows that he could walk on water,and his persistent critics within the Coalition would mock him for not being able to swim.
It’s an observation that highlights just how obsessed some MPs have become with his leadership and the convenient narrative that replacing him will rid the opposition of its problems.
Pesutto may not like to admit it,but he’s certainly made a few cock-ups in the past 12 months. But he’s also received disproportionate blame for a litany of issues beyond his control,including theAston byelection result and the failure of the Liberal head office to lodge its submission in time for the federal redistribution.
While it’s laughable that Pesutto should be held responsible for these messes,he cannot ignore the significant demise of the Coalition relationship under his watch.
Annika Smethurst is state political editor forThe Age.
The Opinion newsletter is a weekly wrap of views that will challenge,champion and inform your own.Sign up here.