The Federal Liberal party are very much down and out following the last election’s wipeout and subsequent coalition split, with experts opining they may be past the point of return when it comes to reconnecting with modern Australia. Brad Battin justice reform
You could easily say the same for their Victorian state counterparts, who suffered an equally crushing defeat at the 2022 Victorian elections under Mathew Guy’s leadership. Equally, the messy public fall of John Pesutto following a failed defamation case over his ousting of MP Moira Deeming has solidified their reputation as a dysfunctional party mired by internal disputes.
With an election on the horizon in 2026, Brad Battin, their fourth leader in as many years, hopes to move on from the protracted Deeming saga and get started on rebuilding a viable opposition. Speaking to multicultural media at their third annual dedicated press conference, Battin endeavoured to present as a down-to-earth leader amidst internal party turmoil.
“The vote for the Labor government declined quite dramatically, but they didn’t move across to the Victorian Liberal Party. I think we probably had too negative a campaign; we said to the community ‘Don’t vote for them’ but we forgot to say, ‘vote for us,’” said Battin when asked to reflect on what went wrong at the last election.
Victorian Liberals: Looking ahead
Soul-searching aside, there was the unshakable sense this opposition was the Liberal status quo in new clothes. Certainly, this wasn’t helped by them once again touting plans to reverse the new gas connection phaseout, a hallmark of November’s press conference.
Furthermore, Battin’s reiteration of plans to ‘halt the Suburban Rail Loop, release a transparent and updated cost estimate, and redirect focus and resources to priority infrastructure projects such as roads and housing’ is also a clear sign of nothing new.
However, unlike last year, the leadership team was able to provide a somewhat convincing example of backing multicultural communities in their ‘unanimously supported’ motion to set up an SBS hub in Melbourne rather than Western Sydney.Brad Battin justice reform
Regardless of whether this will be meaningful, it’s certainly worth examining the fact that both of our government funded national broadcasters are headquartered in Sydney. According to statistics cited on the motion, only 14 per cent of SBS’s 1319 staff are based in Victoria, while 80 per cent of them are based in NSW.
The motion calls on the Allan government to advocate for SBS headquarters in a fast-growing multicultural Melbourne location like Broadmeadows or Dandenong. It describes the decision to base the new SBS production hub in Western Sydney as ‘forced by the Albanese Labor Government’.
Security matters
But Battin, an ex-police officer, came into his element on questions about crime, a top-of-mind issue last night as Northland Shopping Centre went into lockdown for the third time this month. Brad Battin justice reform
The Victorian Liberals stated they will bring a tougher ‘break bail, go to jail’ stance to the upcoming election and prioritise bringing in ‘move on’ laws to dispel Neo-Nazi protests.
Given Battin’s past entanglements with Neo-Nazis and the ongoing Deeming case, you’d be forgiven for doubting their conviction when it comes to dealing with Neo-Nazis, but Battin was unequivocal in his answer: “We have always been tougher when it comes to [dealing with Neo-Nazis] and ensuring we give the police the powers they need. I’m a former police officer. I’ve used those powers, and I would be encouraging Victoria Police to use them again in the future. I will guarantee you 100% they will have the powers to ensure they can move people on, because people going about their legal duties…they should have the right of way, not people blocking them who have hate.”
“The first priority [is] to build the trust back in the justice system, because if the community don’t believe the justice system’s working, then the governments almost become non effective for any prevention program. So that’s why we have the break bail face jail,” Battin explained. “[We can’t] bring kids to the jail system to lock them up and not offer education or opportunities for growth and development and then go ‘they’ll get out better.’ They’re going to come out worse.”
He suggested introducing more intervention models and rehabilitation programs to reduce reoffending like those introduced in Cheshire, UK or by Geoffrey Canada.
“When kids start to enter the justice system, if you get [to] them then and remove them from that life of crime, the outcomes are a hundred to one, anywhere in the world. Some of them will still go on a path of crime, but they won’t go on the path of violent crime,” Battin said.
“Instead of spending a million dollars a year to keep them in the prison system, [Cheshire] spends about a tenth of it to keep them out. That’s the biggest fundamental change we can make in ensuring young people get the opportunities they deserve.”
On Victoria-India ties
Regarding Victoria’s relationship with India, the Liberals look to follow suit with Allan and explore broader education opportunities, describing India as ‘one of our largest trading partners going into the future’. We’re yet to see Battin in a sherwani, but much was also made about attending the local Holi celebration or the Nepali festival at Fed Square.
When asked about targeted Indian community initiatives, Battin had less to say.
“Most of the groups that I meet with outside of that, they’re asking the same questions everybody else in the community is asking. Can you make my community safe? Can I afford to have a home,” he said.
Notwithstanding, they also expressed a willingness to review language and selective school offerings.
Jury’s still out on whether any of this spells the beginnings of a credible alternative government, but with Battin’s ex-police force knowledge, he certainly presents a viable point of view on the issue of crime.
As support for the Labor Government dips and instances like Northland dominate the headlines, the Victorian Liberal party may well be able to win back some votes.
Whether these efforts will be enough to overcome their demon days and form government, is another matter entirely. Brad Battin justice reform
Read more: Albanese: Beyond the giant slayer moment
