‘I will lead from the front’: Michael O’Brien says he’s right man for Victoria
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Victorian Opposition Leader Michael O’Brien has declared he is the right person to lead the Liberal Party and offer a “better, brighter” alternative to the Andrews government at the next election.
The 49-year-old is facing the prospect of a leadership challenge by a group of rebel MPs who believe they have majority support in the party room to change leaders.
Opposition Leader Michael O’Brien.Credit:Joe Armao
Calculations by Liberal MPs, both for and against the leader, show former leader Matthew Guy and Mr O’Brien have between 11 and 16 supporters, with up to nine MPs undecided.
Mr O’Brien said on Wednesday he would attempt to unite his party by “lead[ing] from the front as I’ve always done.”
“Every single day I get up, I’m determined to work for Victoria and to lead my party so that Victoria can do better,” he said.
“I was elected unopposed by my party after the last election because they know that, as a former treasurer, nobody is better placed to lead Victoria’s economic recovery … than me.
“I think Victorians need a better alternative … and that’s what I’m determined to offer.
“They do not want more of the same – more of the lockdowns, more of the waste. They want to see a better, brighter future, and that’s what the Liberal Party is going to be offering Victorians.”
Mr O’Brien took over the party at one of its lowest points after the 2018 election thumping. He has faced internal criticism for his approach during the pandemic, through which he has struggled to take advantage of the prolonged lockdown caused by COVID-19 seeping from quarantine hotels.
An Ipsos poll published by The Age in October showed 15 per cent of Victorians surveyed approved of the Opposition Leader’s performance during the pandemic. The finding compared with 52 per cent approval rating for Premier Daniel Andrews.
Opposition leaders across the country have faced similar difficulties making political headway during the health crisis, and Mr O’Brien’s approach reflected his belief that partisan attacks would cause a public backlash.
Senior Liberal figures, in and outside of Parliament, are urging Mr Guy, who led the party to its most recent election defeat, to run against Mr O’Brien, but he indicated last week he was not interested in the job.
Other MPs who have been floated as potential leaders in the past include upper house leader David Davis, who would face extreme difficulty because leaders must sit in the lower house where government is formed.
Frontbencher Tim Smith is seen as a potential leader in the long term, but not immediately. John Pesutto was regarded as a strong contender for the leadership before he lost his safe seat of Hawthorn at the last election. He is expected to recontest in the November 2022 election.
Mr O’Brien has dismissed past media reports that detail internal anger against his leadership and challenged MPs to speak out publicly rather than provide anonymous quotes to journalists. None of the MPs plotting against Mr O’Brien were prepared to put their names to their views.
Mr O’Brien said on Wednesday he was “nothing if not determined”.
“What drives me is doing better for this state.
“I’m absolutely determined to do it, not for me, not for the Liberal Party, but to do it for Victorians.”
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