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Three hundred and sixty-two days ago, the Liberal Party received its fifth Victorian leader in six years.
Kew MP Jess Wilson successfully challenged Brad Battin for party leadership in November 2025, after a period of extended turbulence for the Coalition, now in its 12th year of opposition in Victoria.
It marked the first time the party had elected a millennial leader, and the continuation of a meteoric rise for 36-year-old Wilson.
Raised in Melbourne’s east and educated at Strathcona Girls Grammar, Wilson grew up steeped in politics. Her father, Ron Wilson – whom she has described as her “first political hero” – was also a state Liberal MP.
Ben Carroll became premier in July, after ousting Daniel Andrews’ successor, Jacinta Allan. He represents the north-west Melbourne electorate of Niddrie.
After 12 years in office, Labor is struggling to hang onto its power base. While the Coalition remains its principal opponent, One Nation is rising, as Hanson’s party draws support from voters who once regarded Labor as their natural political home.
Carroll knows he is running out of time to convince Victorians he is different. It’s a point he has reiterated since his first speech as the premier in late July, in which he bluntly declared “I am not Daniel Andrews, I am not Jacinta Allan”.
Labor has held Niddrie – which covers Keilor, Niddrie, and Essendon West – for its entire 50-year history. Carroll won a byelection for the seat in 2012. Its residents are old-school Labor: more than a quarter have southern European ancestry, with rates of Catholicism higher than almost any other seat. (Carroll has recently returned to church, describing himself as a “progressive Catholic” who finds the ritual “meditative”.)
Welcome to our rolling live coverage of the campaign launches for the Victorian state election, now under two weeks away.
After 12 years in government and three Labor premiers, there is a distinct mood for change in the air. But what direction that change will take is still very much up for debate.
This election could be an unprecedented race for Victoria, with the potential for a first-ever fourth-term win for Labor, the first-ever female-elected premier of Victoria if Liberal Jess Wilson wins, and a test of One Nation’s rising popularity.
