The Australia Today understands Ms Campbell won the endorsement through a vote of the Liberal Party’s state executive, which was given responsibility for selecting the replacement after Mrs Deeming was disendorsed last month.

The decision gives Ms Campbell one of the Liberal Party’s most valuable upper house positions and marks her return to parliamentary politics.

The number one Western Metropolitan position had become vacant after the party unanimously revoked Mrs Deeming’s endorsement on July 17 following a prolonged dispute over allegations she made against former Liberal leader Matthew Guy.

Mrs Deeming subsequently resigned from the parliamentary Liberal Party and moved to the crossbench, where she now sits as an independent MP for Western Metropolitan Region.

Ms Campbell emerged as one of the leading candidates almost immediately after nominations were reopened.

The outcome represents a significant victory for Ms Campbell and the party figures who argued that the Liberals needed a high-profile candidate capable of presenting a fresh public face after months of internal turmoil around the Western Metropolitan ticket.

Ms Campbell is a barrister and has served as Melbourne’s Deputy Lord Mayor since the 2024 council election.

She first entered the City of Melbourne as a councillor in 2020 and became nationally known when she was selected as the Liberal candidate for the 2023 Aston by-election following the retirement of former cabinet minister Alan Tudge.

Her move to Western Metropolitan gives her another path into Parliament, this time at state level and in a region stretching across Melbourne’s west.

The ticket position is highly valuable because the Liberals elected two members from Western Metropolitan at the 2022 state election.

Mrs Deeming was elected from the number one position and Mr Luu from number two.

That result means Ms Campbell enters the November election with a strong prospect of becoming a member of the Legislative Council if the Liberal vote remains competitive.

Her endorsement also brings an end, at least for now, to months of instability surrounding the party’s Western Metro ticket.

Mrs Deeming regained the top position in April after other eligible candidates withdrew or were ruled ineligible.

But her endorsement was again thrown into doubt after she alleged Mr Guy had assaulted her during a community event.

Victoria Police reviewed CCTV footage and said no offence had been detected.

Mrs Deeming maintained she had made the complaint honestly and in good faith but refused calls from within the party to apologise to Mr Guy.

The dispute escalated into legal action when Mrs Deeming sought to stop the party’s state executive from meeting to remove her candidacy.

She later withdrew the injunction and the state executive voted unanimously to disendorse her.

At that stage, Mrs Deeming remained a member of the Liberal parliamentary party.

That changed on July 28 when she announced she had resigned from the parliamentary Liberal Party and would continue representing Western Metropolitan as an independent.

Ms Campbell’s selection also gives the Liberals a candidate with a substantially different political profile from Mrs Deeming.

While Mrs Deeming built her support among conservative grassroots members and became nationally known through debates over sex-based rights and her disputes with the Liberal leadership, Ms Campbell has cultivated a more conventional profile around law, business, local government and economic issues.

As a barrister, she has practised in commercial law and has regularly appeared in political and media discussions.

Her role at Melbourne Town Hall has given her experience across economic development, city governance, business and major events.

The party will hope that background appeals to voters across a Western Metropolitan Region that combines established working-class suburbs with some of the fastest-growing communities in Australia.

The region includes areas such as Werribee, Point Cook, Tarneit, Footscray, St Albans, Williamstown, Sydenham and Sunbury.

Its rapid population growth, housing pressures, transport congestion and large multicultural population make it an increasingly important electoral battleground.

The Liberals have been attempting to improve their performance across Melbourne’s west, where Labor has historically dominated most lower house seats.

The party came within 693 votes of winning the Werribee by-election in 2025, producing a swing of more than 10 percentage points towards the Liberals.

That result reinforced Liberal hopes that traditional Labor strongholds in the west could become competitive as voters focus on cost of living, crime, infrastructure and state debt.

Ms Campbell will now become one of the party’s most visible representatives in that strategy.

Her endorsement also settles one of several internal disputes the Liberals have been trying to resolve as Opposition Leader Jess Wilson prepares for the November 28 election.

The Liberals will hope Ms Campbell’s selection allows the party to move the conversation back towards its election priorities.

The election will therefore test whether the Liberals can retain the two Western Metropolitan seats they won in 2022 while facing competition from independents, One Nation, Labor, the Greens and other minor parties.

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At a Melbourne media event on Monday, Senator Hanson introduced Warren Pickering as One Nation’s Victorian leader alongside seven upper house candidates who will contest regions across the state at the November election.

Mr Pickering, the party’s Victorian president, had originally been expected to lead the ticket for Eastern Victoria but will instead contest the lower house seat of Pakenham.

The move gives One Nation a named state leader in a direct lower house contest and signals the party wants to do more than simply win representation in the Legislative Council.

Mr Pickering is a former bricklayer, Australian Defence Force member and coal industry worker who became politically active after resigning from his job during the COVID-19 period over government vaccination policies.

He has spent recent months building One Nation branches and recruiting candidates across Victoria. The party has previously said it intends to contest every seat at the November election.

Senator Hanson used the launch to attack what she described as a “tired and toxic Labor government”, arguing Victorians were looking for an alternative after almost 12 years of Labor rule.

One Nation is attempting to position itself as that alternative by campaigning heavily on crime, government debt, taxes, agriculture, education and alleged corruption linked to Victoria’s Big Build.

The party has also backed a royal commission into the construction industry, although new Premier Ben Carroll has now announced his own royal commission following the resignation of Jacinta Allan.

Mr Pickering promised supporters a “November to remember” and said One Nation would campaign to govern in its own right rather than simply act as a preference vehicle for the Coalition.

The candidates announced include incumbent upper house MP Rikkie-Lee Tyrrell, who will seek re-election in Northern Victoria.

Ms Tyrrell became One Nation’s first Victorian state MP when she was elected to the Legislative Council in 2022.

Her re-election will be important for the party because she provides One Nation with an established parliamentary presence as it expands its Victorian operation.

Geelong councillor Chris Burson will contest Western Victoria.

Mr Burson is a former Victoria Police officer and Australian Defence Force member who has previously stood for the Angry Victorians Party at the 2022 state election and the Australian Values Party at the 2022 federal election.

He has spoken publicly about working in a protective security detail during the COVID period, including providing security to then-premier Daniel Andrews and his family as threats against political leaders increased.

Former Liberal Party member Colleen Harkin will contest the South-Eastern Metropolitan Region.

Ms Harkin resigned from the Liberals in June and joined One Nation after becoming increasingly critical of the direction of the Victorian Liberal Party.

She previously sought Liberal preselection for the federal seat of Macnamara and later Goldstein.

Ms Harkin is also director of education at the Institute of Public Affairs and was a prominent supporter of former Liberal MP Moira Deeming during internal disputes that consumed the Victorian Liberal Party.

Her move to One Nation illustrates one of the party’s central strategies in Victoria: attracting conservative voters, members and activists who believe the Liberal Party has moved too far towards the political centre.

Animator and small business owner Mark Nicholson will contest the Northern Metropolitan Region.

Mr Nicholson is a co-founder of Stepmates Studios, which produces One Nation’s animated Please Explain series and its satirical feature-length political film.

Northern Metropolitan is traditionally one of Victoria’s more progressive regions, covering parts of Melbourne’s inner and northern suburbs, making his candidacy one of One Nation’s more difficult electoral contests.

Fiona Lopez will contest Western Metropolitan Region, where she will compete for an upper house seat across Melbourne’s rapidly growing western suburbs.

Ms Lopez has been described as a human resources manager and is among several candidates who do not come from conventional political careers.

Natalie Adams will contest North-Eastern Metropolitan Region.

Ms Adams has been described as an office manager and local mother, reflecting One Nation’s stated effort to recruit candidates from outside political and parliamentary circles.

Lawyer Aaron Sanford will contest Southern Metropolitan Region.

The party has not yet announced its replacement candidate for Eastern Victoria after Mr Pickering decided to move into the lower house seat of Pakenham.

The candidate launch comes at an unusually volatile moment in Victorian politics.

Labor has just changed premiers after Ben Carroll replaced Jacinta Allan following a caucus revolt, while the Liberal Party under Jess Wilson is attempting to capitalise on concerns about crime, debt, taxes and alleged corruption.

One Nation is seeking to turn dissatisfaction with both major parties into parliamentary representation.

Polling throughout 2026 has suggested the party is attracting levels of Victorian support well above its historical performance.

A recent Newspoll placed One Nation at 19 per cent of the primary vote, behind the Coalition on 31 per cent and Labor on 28 per cent.

That result was lower than several earlier surveys that had placed One Nation above 20 per cent, and in some cases ahead of both major parties.

A YouGov Pulse poll in April, measuring federal voting intention among Victorians, put One Nation at 26 per cent, compared with Labor on 25 per cent and the Coalition on 21 per cent.

The result did not measure Victorian state voting intention, but it showed the size of the potential pool of voters available to Senator Hanson’s party.

One Nation has previously struggled to establish a durable Victorian organisation despite performing strongly in Queensland and parts of regional Australia.

That has changed significantly over the past year.

The party now has an incumbent Victorian MP, more organised local branches and an increasingly active candidate recruitment program.

It also performed strongly at the recent South Australian election, winning seven parliamentary seats, giving One Nation greater confidence that its support can translate into state representation outside Queensland.

However, translating polling into Victorian lower house seats remains difficult.

Victoria uses compulsory preferential voting in the Legislative Assembly, meaning One Nation candidates generally need either a very strong primary vote or favourable preference flows to survive against Labor and Liberal candidates.

The Legislative Council presents a more achievable pathway because multiple members are elected from each region.

That helps explain why the seven announced upper house candidates are central to the party’s strategy.

One Nation has been campaigning on an agenda that includes cutting state debt, cracking down on crime, protecting farmers, reducing living costs, improving health services and increasing housing affordability.

Its Victorian recruitment material describes those issues as central to the party’s attempt to win the balance of power.

Senator Hanson has also increasingly focused on education.

One Nation has promised to promote patriotism in schools, remove Welcome to Country ceremonies from classrooms and challenge what it calls “woke” teaching.

The party has also flagged reviewing or cancelling the Suburban Rail Loop, one of Labor’s largest and most expensive infrastructure projects.

Agriculture is expected to feature heavily in One Nation’s regional campaign, particularly opposition to renewable energy infrastructure and transmission projects on farming land.

The party has promised stronger protections for landholders and has previously said it would repeal penalties affecting farmers who resist access to their properties for infrastructure projects.

Further policy announcements are expected at a planned “Farmer Fight Back” event later this month.

The Melbourne candidate launch was itself accompanied by controversy after One Nation denied access to journalists from the ABC, The Age and The Guardian.

Senator Hanson accused the outlets of unfair and biased reporting and said she wanted media organisations that would report “truth and honesty” rather than what she described as spin and “gotcha moments”.

Other media organisations were permitted to attend.

The decision drew criticism over media access, particularly because One Nation is seeking greater representation in a state parliament and campaigning on transparency and government accountability.

Senator Hanson defended the decision and compared her approach with criticism of mainstream media made by US political figures.

The media dispute is unlikely to be the final controversy surrounding the campaign.

One Nation’s rapid expansion means the backgrounds, views and previous political affiliations of its candidates will receive increasing scrutiny as the election approaches.

Ms Harkin’s move from the Liberal Party highlights the growing competition between One Nation and the Liberals for conservative voters.

That presents a strategic problem for Ms Wilson.

If the Liberals move too far to the centre, they risk losing voters to One Nation. If they attempt to match Hanson’s positions, they risk alienating moderate voters needed to win marginal metropolitan seats.

Labor faces a different challenge.

One Nation has increasingly targeted outer-suburban and regional voters who historically supported Labor but now cite cost of living, housing, crime and distrust of government as reasons to consider changing their vote.

That makes seats across Melbourne’s west, north and south-east particularly important.

For Senator Hanson, Victoria has historically been difficult political territory.

For much of One Nation’s existence, the party struggled to gain the sort of electoral foothold it enjoyed in Queensland.

The 2026 election will test whether that has fundamentally changed.

One Nation now enters the contest with an incumbent MP, a state leader, candidates across most upper house regions and polling that places it firmly in the mainstream electoral contest.

Whether that translates into a significant parliamentary bloc will depend on candidate quality, preferences and whether voters who tell pollsters they support One Nation ultimately stay with the party on election day.

But one thing is already clear: Victoria’s November election is no longer shaping as a simple contest between Labor and the Coalition.

Pauline Hanson intends One Nation to be a third force, and the candidates unveiled in Melbourne are the team she hopes will make that ambition a reality.

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Their departures remove two of former premier Jacinta Allan’s strongest cabinet supporters and mark a major generational break from the Labor administrations led by Daniel Andrews and Ms Allan.

Mr Carroll confirmed the resignations on Thursday and said Labor MPs would meet on Monday morning to elect new ministers before he announced his reshaped cabinet.

“Over many years of dedicated service, they have brought compassion, determination and a strong sense of purpose to their roles, delivering outcomes that have improved the lives of Victorians and strengthened the communities they represent,” Mr Carroll said.

Ms Shing said she informed the new Premier on Tuesday afternoon, only hours after he replaced Ms Allan, that she would no longer serve in cabinet or seek another parliamentary term.

“It’s always been my view that we are custodians of these roles for the time that we have them, and it’s now time for me to pass these opportunities and obligations on to the next person,” she said.

“I have congratulated and wished Premier Carroll every success.

“He deserves the full support, solidarity and respect of the cabinet, the caucus and our entire labour movement as he takes the government forward and into the all-important contest against the Liberal Party and One Nation in November.”

Ms Shing described her time in public office as the honour of her life and said she had approached her responsibilities as a “labour of love and determination”.

She was elected to the Legislative Council in 2014 and entered the ministry in June 2022. Her portfolios have included equality, water, regional development, housing, the Suburban Rail Loop, Development Victoria and, most recently, health and ambulance services.

Her departure will force Mr Carroll to appoint Victoria’s third health minister in just over three months. Ms Shing took over the politically sensitive health portfolio in April after Mary-Anne Thomas announced her retirement from politics.

The state’s hospital system, ambulance response times, elective surgery backlogs and pressure on the healthcare workforce are expected to remain central issues during the election campaign.

Ms D’Ambrosio’s retirement ends a parliamentary career spanning almost 24 years.

The Mill Park MP was first elected to the Legislative Assembly in November 2002 and entered cabinet in January 2010 under former premier John Brumby.

She has held the energy portfolio continuously since Labor returned to government in 2014, making her Australia’s longest-serving energy minister.

Ms D’Ambrosio became a central architect of Victoria’s renewable energy program, emissions-reduction targets, household solar subsidies and the revival of the publicly owned State Electricity Commission.

“Back in 2014 not a lot of people thought about energy too much,” she said.

“Of course, the decade that followed changed all that. Under Labor, Victoria has led the nation, paving the way for Australia’s transition to renewable energy. Where Victoria has gone, the rest of the country has followed.”

Mr Carroll said Ms D’Ambrosio’s record would be measured through Victoria’s transition towards cleaner energy.

“Lily D’Ambrosio has been at the forefront of Victoria’s response to climate change,” he said.

“Her leadership has made Victoria a national leader in renewable energy, driven ambitious emissions reduction targets and laid the foundations for a cleaner, more sustainable future.”

Ms D’Ambrosio’s current responsibilities include climate action, energy and resources, and the State Electricity Commission.

Her retirement creates an immediate challenge for the Carroll government as it manages the energy transition, electricity prices, transmission infrastructure, renewable energy projects and continuing political debate over the state’s opposition to nuclear power.

The timing of both resignations will inevitably fuel questions about the continuing fallout from Ms Allan’s removal.

Ms Shing and Ms D’Ambrosio were among the former premier’s closest allies and resisted the cross-factional move to install Mr Carroll as leader.

Ms Allan resigned on Tuesday morning after being told she no longer held majority support in the Labor caucus. Mr Carroll was elected leader later that day and sworn in as Victoria’s 50th premier, with Gabrielle Williams becoming deputy premier.

Ms D’Ambrosio publicly backed the new leadership immediately after the caucus meeting, saying Labor had united behind Mr Carroll despite the difficult events surrounding Ms Allan’s departure.

“We’re a united team behind Ben Carroll and Ben Carroll will put up the fight of his life, and we will all be backing him 100 per cent,” she said on Tuesday.

Two days later, both she and Ms Shing announced they would leave politics.

Their decisions give Mr Carroll additional freedom to reward MPs who supported the leadership change and bring new figures into cabinet, but they also underline the scale of disruption inside Labor less than four months before Victorians vote.

The ministers who formed part of the delegation that urged Ms Allan to stand down—including Colin Brooks, Ingrid Stitt, Anthony Carbines, Lizzie Blandthorn and Luba Grigorovitch—are expected to be influential in the new administration.

Ms Williams, a senior figure from Labor’s Left faction who helped lead the push for change, has already been elevated to deputy premier.

Attention will also focus on Attorney-General Sonya Kilkenny, who unexpectedly nominated against Mr Carroll during Tuesday’s tense caucus meeting before withdrawing.

A change in the attorney-general’s portfolio would send another clear signal that Mr Carroll intends to distance his government from the final months of the Allan administration.

The new Premier has already announced a royal commission into alleged corruption, violence and organised crime across Victoria’s construction industry—an inquiry Ms Allan repeatedly refused to establish.

He has also promised a more constructive relationship with business, stronger oversight of public spending and a review of existing commitments connected to the Suburban Rail Loop.

Mr Carroll has stressed that he intends to lead in a different way.

“I am not Daniel Andrews. I am not Jacinta Allan,” he said after taking office, while promising a change in direction centred on integrity, affordability and the concerns being raised by Victorian voters.

However, he has indicated that Labor’s proposed right to work from home will remain before Parliament despite calls from business groups for the legislation to be abandoned.

The future of the Suburban Rail Loop is less certain. Mr Carroll has previously expressed reservations about the project, but any decision to slow, alter or cancel it would involve examining contracts already signed by the government.

A reshuffle provides him with an opportunity to place his own stamp on those policy areas before the campaign formally begins.

It also carries risks.

Moving too aggressively against Ms Allan’s former supporters could deepen factional wounds and create resentment among Labor members still angry about the leadership change. Moving too cautiously could leave voters unconvinced that the new Premier represents the break with the past he has promised.

Mr Carroll is also reportedly seeking to recruit veteran Labor operative Julie Ligeti as his chief of staff.

Ms Ligeti has worked for former state and federal Labor ministers and has experience across the Bracks government and the internal political battles of the Rudd and Gillard years.

Her expected appointment would place an experienced campaign and government strategist in charge of the Premier’s office during the four-month sprint towards the November 28 election.

The resignations of Ms Shing and Ms D’Ambrosio will also require Labor to find replacement candidates for Eastern Victoria Region and Mill Park.

Mill Park has long been considered a secure Labor electorate, while Ms Shing’s upper house position will form part of the broader contest across Eastern Victoria.

Their retirements add to an already substantial turnover within the government following a series of ministerial departures announced earlier this year.

For Labor, the reshuffle will be presented as the creation of a refreshed team under a new leader.

For the opposition, it will provide further evidence of a government undergoing internal collapse after almost 12 years in office.

Liberal Leader Jess Wilson is expected to argue that replacing the premier and rearranging cabinet cannot separate Mr Carroll from decisions made by governments in which he was a senior minister.

Labor will counter that the leadership change has transformed the political contest and given the government a chance to rebuild public trust.

The departures of Ms Shing and Ms D’Ambrosio are the first major personnel changes of that rebuilding effort.

They remove two experienced ministers whose political identities were closely linked to the Allan and Andrews eras, while opening some of the government’s most important portfolios to a new generation.

Mr Carroll has said the transition to his administration will be completed quickly.

Monday’s cabinet announcement will show whether he intends to pursue a limited reshuffle designed to maintain stability—or a more sweeping reconstruction aimed at convincing voters that Victorian Labor has genuinely changed direction.

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In a social media post republished after One Nation said the original had disappeared from Meta, the party said schools under a One Nation government would encourage young Australians to love their country rather than apologise for its history.

“Under One Nation, our schools will promote patriotism and encourage young Aussies to love their country, its history and its heritage,” the post said.

“We will not apologise for our history. We are one of the greatest countries on earth, and we will be proud of this.”

The party accused what it called the “woke educational establishment” of denigrating Australian history and promised that “both the Welcome to Country and self-hatred will be expunged from our schools”.

One Nation did not set out how patriotism would be defined, which historical content would be changed or what teaching material it considers to promote “self-hatred”.

It also did not provide evidence explaining why the original Meta post disappeared. There has been no publicly available explanation establishing whether the post was removed by the platform, deleted by an administrator or affected by a technical issue.

The announcement is consistent with One Nation’s existing education platform, which promises a stronger focus on reading, writing, arithmetic, classroom discipline and explicit instruction.

The party says schools should develop critical thinking and deliver a knowledge-rich curriculum, while rejecting what it describes as racial, gender and Western “guilt shaming”.

One Nation has repeatedly campaigned against Welcome to Country and Acknowledgement of Country practices in schools, government departments, Parliament, sporting events and other public institutions.

Senator Hanson has described the practices as divisive and politically driven, arguing Australians should not be made to feel like visitors in their own country.

The party’s broader policy would end taxpayer funding for Welcome to Country and similar ceremonies and promote the Australian flag as the sole national flag displayed by government bodies.

Senator Hanson has also outlined plans to remove Welcome to Country ceremonies from educational institutions as part of a wider agenda she says would promote national unity and a shared Australian identity.

However, Welcome to Country and Acknowledgement of Country are different practices.

A Welcome to Country can only be delivered by Traditional Owners, or Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people authorised by Traditional Owners. It formally welcomes visitors to a particular traditional Country and may include a speech, dance, song or smoking ceremony.

An Acknowledgement of Country can be delivered by anyone and recognises Traditional Owners and their continuing connection to land and community.

Reconciliation Australia says neither practice suggests that other Australians do not belong in the country. It says the purpose is to uphold cultural protocols and recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the Traditional Owners of particular lands.

In schools, an Acknowledgement of Country delivered by students, teachers or principals is likely to be more common than a formal Welcome to Country, which requires the involvement of an authorised Traditional Owner.

One Nation’s statement referred only to Welcome to Country, leaving unclear whether its proposed removal would also cover acknowledgements, classroom recognition of Country or participation in events involving Traditional Owners.

The party’s promise would also face constitutional and administrative barriers if pursued solely through the federal Parliament.

State and territory governments are responsible for operating and regulating schools, while non-government education authorities manage Catholic and independent systems.

The Commonwealth provides substantial funding and helps establish national priorities, but it does not own schools, employ teachers or directly control their daily operations.

The Australian Curriculum is developed nationally, but state, territory and non-government authorities decide how it is delivered, including implementation timelines, classroom practices and teaching resources.

A federal One Nation government could seek curriculum changes through meetings of education ministers or attach conditions to Commonwealth funding, but it could not simply direct every Australian school to adopt an identical policy without cooperation from the states and territories.

The current Australian Curriculum already includes Australian history, democratic institutions, citizenship, national values and the responsibilities of citizens.

Its Civics and Citizenship program seeks to teach students about Australia’s Constitution, Parliament, elections, courts, laws and democratic system.

The curriculum says students should develop a sense of belonging and civic engagement within Australia as a secular democracy, a culturally diverse and multi-faith society with a Christian heritage and distinct First Nations histories and cultures.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures is one of three cross-curriculum priorities, alongside sustainability and Australia’s engagement with Asia.

The priority is not taught as a separate subject. It is incorporated where relevant into history, English, geography, civics and other learning areas.

ACARA says the content allows First Nations students to see their cultures and identities reflected in education while giving all students an understanding of Australia’s history, including colonisation, native title, cultural continuity and the contributions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

One Nation’s criticism raises a broader debate about whether teaching colonisation, dispossession and historical injustice undermines national pride or gives students a fuller understanding of Australia.

The party argues schools have placed too much emphasis on guilt and division at the expense of the country’s achievements, institutions and freedoms.

Supporters of the existing approach argue that pride in Australia does not require avoiding difficult parts of its history and that students should learn about democratic achievements alongside war, discrimination, dispossession and government failures.

The Australian Curriculum encourages students to examine primary and secondary sources, consider different historical perspectives and develop their own evidence-based conclusions.

The One Nation proposal comes as governments across Australia are already considering how to strengthen civics education and the teaching of national values.

Federal Education Minister Jason Clare has said democracy depends on citizens understanding the Constitution, Parliament, courts, elections and how laws are made.

Education ministers agreed in early 2026 to review parts of the curriculum to strengthen Australian values and help combat antisemitism, with the review involving governments, teachers, curriculum authorities and different school sectors.

The renewed focus follows evidence that Australian students’ understanding of civics has fallen.

In the 2024 National Assessment Program, 43 per cent of Year 6 students reached the proficient standard for Civics and Citizenship, down from 53 per cent in 2019.

Only 28 per cent of Year 10 students reached the standard, compared with 38 per cent five years earlier. The results were the lowest recorded since the assessment began in 2004.

Those results could strengthen One Nation’s argument that schools should devote greater attention to Australian democracy, history and citizenship.

However, they do not establish that teaching First Nations history or holding acknowledgements has caused the fall in civic knowledge.

The assessment focuses on students’ understanding of government, laws, elections, civic participation and democratic institutions rather than measuring patriotism or attitudes towards Welcome to Country.

The federal government has established an online Civics and Citizenship Education Hub with resources about democratic history, government, law, identity, diversity and citizenship.

It also supports student visits to Parliament House, the Museum of Australian Democracy, the National Electoral Education Centre and the Australian War Memorial.

One Nation’s latest statement therefore enters a policy debate in which there is broad agreement that students need a stronger understanding of Australia, but deep disagreement about what national pride should mean and which parts of history should be emphasised.

The party has framed the issue as a choice between patriotism and an education system it says teaches shame.

The existing curriculum presents a different position: that students can value Australia’s democratic institutions and achievements while also studying colonisation, exclusion and the experiences of First Nations Australians.

What remains missing from One Nation’s announcement is a detailed curriculum proposal.

The party has not identified which lessons would be removed, whether Welcome to Country and Acknowledgement of Country would both be prohibited, how schools would be monitored or whether teachers could still discuss contested interpretations of Australian history.

It has also not explained whether its policy would extend to Catholic and independent schools or how it would secure the cooperation of state and territory governments.

Those details would determine whether the announcement amounts to a practical education reform or a broader political statement aimed at voters concerned about national identity, cultural division and what children are being taught.

For now, One Nation’s message is direct: it wants Australian classrooms to place national pride at the centre of education and remove practices the party believes make students feel ashamed of their country.

The policy is likely to attract support from voters who believe Australian history and democratic achievements have been undervalued.

It will also face strong opposition from First Nations organisations, educators and reconciliation advocates who argue that acknowledging the country’s full history is not an act of national self-hatred, but part of producing informed Australian citizens.

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The Western Metropolitan Region MP announced on Tuesday that she would continue serving in Parliament as an independent, bringing another turbulent chapter in her relationship with the Victorian Liberal Party to an end.

“My focus has always been, and will continue to be, on representing the needs and concerns of everyday Australians,” Mrs Deeming said in a statement posted online.

She said she had entered Parliament to fight for freedom, fair laws and families, while continuing to campaign against corruption, government debt and crime.

“To save our state from endemic corruption, crushing debt, and the rising crime crisis, Labor has got to go,” she said.

“I remain fully committed to seeing that through.”

Opposition Leader Jess Wilson confirmed she had received Mrs Deeming’s resignation from the parliamentary Liberal Party, describing the decision as an “absolute surprise”.

“This morning I received the resignation from the Parliamentary Liberal Party from Moira Deeming,” Ms Wilson said.

The distinction between the parliamentary party and the broader Liberal Party organisation remains important. Mrs Deeming’s statement confirmed that she had left the Liberal parliamentary team, but did not clarify whether she had also resigned her ordinary membership of the Victorian Liberal Party.

Her departure means she will no longer attend Liberal party-room meetings or be bound by its collective decisions. She is expected to serve on the Legislative Council crossbench for the remainder of her term.

Mrs Deeming has not announced whether she intends to contest the November 28 election as an independent or seek endorsement from another political party.

Her resignation follows the Victorian Liberal state executive’s unanimous decision on July 17 to remove her as the party’s number one candidate for Western Metropolitan Region.

The meeting reportedly lasted just 13 minutes. The party said at the time that it considered the matter concluded and wanted to focus on presenting its election plan to Victorians.

Mrs Deeming remained a member of the parliamentary Liberal team immediately after losing her endorsement, but the decision meant she would not appear on the party’s ticket at the election.

The Liberals subsequently reopened applications to fill the prized number-one position, which is considered highly likely to secure election in the five-member upper-house region.

The dispute that led to Mrs Deeming’s disendorsement began after an interaction with former Liberal leader Matthew Guy at a community function in Melbourne’s west in May.

Mrs Deeming complained to Victoria Police that Mr Guy had grabbed and pulled her during the interaction. Police reviewed CCTV footage and concluded that no offence had been detected.

Mr Guy rejected the allegation and demanded a public apology. Ms Wilson supported his call, saying an apology was reasonable.

Mrs Deeming later acknowledged that “headlock” was not the correct technical description of the interaction, but maintained that the contact had been unexpected, painful and distressing. She refused to apologise for making a complaint she said had been submitted honestly and in good faith.

She argued that disendorsing her for using an internal complaint process would establish a dangerous precedent and discourage members from reporting workplace concerns.

In a detailed submission to the Liberal state executive, Mrs Deeming proposed mediation and a joint statement recognising that Mr Guy had intended his actions as a friendly gesture in a crowded and noisy environment.

However, the party’s leadership and state executive remained unmoved.

Mrs Deeming briefly sought a Supreme Court injunction to prevent the state executive from meeting to remove her endorsement. She later withdrew that legal action, saying the injunction had given her time to recover, review the evidence and present her case.

Her resignation ends an extraordinary period of internal conflict that has followed her through most of her first term in Parliament.

Mrs Deeming, a former teacher and Melton councillor, was elected to represent Western Metropolitan Region in November 2022.

She became the centre of a major Liberal Party dispute in March 2023 after attending the Let Women Speak rally outside Parliament House, which was gatecrashed by a group of neo-Nazis.

Then-opposition leader John Pesutto moved against Mrs Deeming following the rally. She was initially suspended and later expelled from the parliamentary party after threatening legal action over statements she alleged linked her to neo-Nazis.

Mrs Deeming successfully sued Mr Pesutto for defamation. The Federal Court found he had defamed her, and he was subsequently ordered to pay more than $2.3 million towards her legal costs. She was restored to the Liberal party room in December 2024.

The judgment and the financial consequences for Mr Pesutto contributed to the internal pressure that ultimately resulted in his removal as Liberal leader.

Mrs Deeming’s preselection for the 2026 election then became the subject of another bitter internal contest.

In March, businessman and community figure Dinesh Gourisetty defeated her for the number one position on the Western Metropolitan ticket. Mr Gourisetty withdrew the following day after it emerged that he had provided a character reference for a man subsequently convicted of child sexual offences.

The party reopened the process, and Mrs Deeming eventually regained the lead position before the dispute involving Mr Guy placed her political future in doubt again.

Her disendorsement forced the Liberals to reopen applications once more, with several candidates seeking the position as the party attempts to settle its upper house ticket before the election.

The latest resignation will allow Ms Wilson to argue that the parliamentary dispute has finally ended, but it also creates a potentially difficult independent competitor in Melbourne’s west.

Standing as an independent would be considerably more difficult than contesting from the top of a major party ticket, but her name recognition and national profile could affect Liberal preferences and the distribution of upper house votes.

Her move also reduces the size of the parliamentary Liberal team and gives the crossbench another vote during the final months of the parliamentary term.

The Liberal Party enters the election seeking to win government after almost 12 years in opposition. Ms Wilson has attempted to focus her campaign on debt, taxation, crime and allegations of corruption linked to Labor’s Big Build.

Whether she formally directs her supporters towards the Liberals, runs against the party or withdraws from the election remains unknown.

The resignation completes a striking reversal from comments Mrs Deeming made after her expulsion from the parliamentary party in 2023, when she said she would never voluntarily leave the Liberal Party.

Three years later, following a successful defamation case, two preselection battles and another public confrontation with the party leadership, she has chosen to sit as an independent.

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The post Moira Deeming quits Victorian Liberal parliamentary party, will sit as independent first appeared on The Australia Today.

Carroll, 51, secured the support of the Labour caucus on Tuesday, completing a leadership transition following Allan’s resignation after losing the confidence of a majority of her parliamentary colleagues. He is expected to be sworn in as premier by the Governor later today.

His elevation marks the culmination of a political career that has taken him from working part-time at Kmart while studying law to becoming one of Victoria’s most experienced cabinet ministers.

A suburban upbringing that shaped his politics

Born and raised in Melbourne’s north-west, Carroll often credits his parents and their small electrical contracting business for shaping his outlook.

His parents established GBK Electrics in Airport West during the 1970s while raising their family, an experience he has frequently cited as teaching him the value of hard work, small business and community.

Before entering politics, Carroll studied law at La Trobe University while working for eight years at Kmart Airport West.

During that period he joined the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees’ Association (SDA), an experience he says introduced him to the labour movement and public service.

Apprenticeship under Bracks and Brumby

Carroll’s political career began behind the scenes as an adviser to former Victorian premiers Steve Bracks and John Brumby, before later working for senior federal Labor figures including Bill Shorten and Stephen Conroy.

Political observers say those experiences have shaped a leadership style that is likely to be more consultative than that of former premier Daniel Andrews.

Author and political commentator Joel Deane has described Carroll as a pragmatic progressive whose approach more closely resembles the Bracks-Brumby era than the Andrews-Allan governments.

Rising through Labor’s ranks

Carroll entered Parliament in 2012 after winning the by-election for the safe Labor seat of Niddrie, succeeding former deputy premier Rob Hulls.

Since Labor returned to government in 2014, he has held more than a dozen ministerial portfolios, including Industry, Public Transport, Roads, WorkSafe, the TAC, Medical Research and, most recently, Education.

Following Daniel Andrews’ resignation in 2023, Carroll unsuccessfully sought the party leadership before ultimately securing the deputy leadership under Jacinta Allan, positioning himself as Labor’s heir apparent.

Challenges as Education Minister

Carroll’s tenure as Education Minister has been marked by both achievements and setbacks.

His period in the portfolio included reforms such as mandatory phonics instruction and improved NAPLAN outcomes, but also significant challenges including the accidental early release of Year 12 examination results and prolonged industrial disputes that resulted in statewide teacher strikes.

Immediate priorities

Carroll now inherits a government entering its twelfth year in office and facing a difficult election campaign.

Labor has been battling declining polling, concerns over community safety, housing affordability, cost-of-living pressures and scrutiny over major infrastructure projects.

Even before becoming leader, Carroll had signalled the themes he intended to focus on.

“We know, as a 12-year-old government, we have to be the insurgent,” he said earlier this year.

“Focus on the fundamentals: community safety, growing the economy, being a state that’s open for business.”

A new chapter for Victorian Labor

Carroll becomes Victoria’s 50th premier at one of the most challenging moments for Labor since it returned to office in 2014.

His first major test will come almost immediately, as he reshapes the ministry, reunites a caucus bruised by the leadership change and prepares to face Opposition Leader Jess Wilson at the November state election.

Political analysts say Carroll’s extensive ministerial experience and broad support within Labor give him a strong platform, but after more than a decade in government he will need to persuade voters that his leadership represents renewal rather than continuity.

Whether his suburban roots, consultative leadership style and focus on economic management can deliver Labor a fourth consecutive term will become one of the defining questions of Victoria’s election campaign.

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The post Ben Carroll elected Victorian Labor leader, set to become the state’s 50th premier first appeared on The Australia Today.

Applications for the coveted number one position on the Liberal Party’s Western Metropolitan Legislative Council ticket closed at 5 pm on 27 July, setting the stage for another closely watched internal contest following the disendorsement of former MP Moira Deeming earlier this month.

The Australia Today understands Ms Campbell has formally nominated for the lead position and is currently regarded by senior Liberal figures as the candidate to watch.

Multiple party sources told The Australia Today that influential Western Metropolitan Liberal figure Dinesh Gourisetty has decided not to contest this time and is backing Ms Campbell’s candidacy.

Mr Gourisetty told The Australia Today, he doesn’t want to create a distraction for the Liberal Party and Leader Jess Wilson from their campaign to remove this incompetent Labor government.

“I want to thank all the party members who contacted me in support of my recontesting in the preselection; however, I would like to focus on serving the community and strengthening the party.”

The Australia Today has independently confirmed from three separate party sources that phone calls were made over recent days canvassing support for Ms Campbell among key decision-makers ahead of Monday’s nomination deadline.

When contacted by The Australia Today, Ms Campbell declined to comment.

She cited Liberal Party rules preventing applicants from publicly discussing their candidacy while the preselection process remains underway.

Campbell, a barrister and Melbourne’s Deputy Lord Mayor, previously contested the 2023 Aston federal by-election and has been widely regarded as one of the Liberal Party’s rising moderate figures. Party insiders have for several days identified her among the leading contenders for the vacancy.

Her selection would also place a woman at the top of the ticket following Mrs Deeming’s removal and could help the party draw a line under the bitter internal divisions surrounding the seat.

Trung Luu seeks promotion to top spot

Also confirming his candidacy is sitting Liberal upper house MP Trung Luu, who is attempting to move from the number two position on the party’s ticket to the all-important first position.

The former Victoria Police forensic officer has represented Western Metropolitan Region since the 2022 state election and is already endorsed for the second position on the Liberal ticket.

He has built his parliamentary profile around crime, community safety, multicultural representation and services in Melbourne’s west.

Several senior members of the parliamentary party have reportedly argued that the sitting MP should be elevated to the first position rather than requiring him to defend the less secure second spot.

Former Liberal leader and shadow police minister Brad Battin was reported to have urged senior party figures to support Mr Luu.

Mr Luu was previously endorsed in the second position during the party’s earlier preselection process.

However, The Australia Today understands that by choosing to contest the lead position, his previous endorsement for the second spot will lapse under party rules, leaving the number two position vacant for a future preselection process.

Mr Luu also declined to comment when approached.

Former adviser enters race

Former Liberal staffer Mark J. Briers has also lodged his nomination, publicly confirming his candidacy on social media shortly before nominations closed.

Announcing his decision, Briers said Victoria needed “a fresh candidate for Melbourne’s west” and argued the Liberal Party should reconnect with aspirational voters.

He pointed to his experience across government, corporate and small business sectors, saying he wanted to help rebuild confidence among families and business owners facing cost-of-living pressures.

Briers said his campaign was motivated by conversations with residents struggling with rising living costs, business closures, crime and housing affordability.

“I’m running to make the Liberal Party the party of aspiration again,” he wrote.

“I won’t waste a minute helping to deliver lower taxes, cost of living relief, business confidence and cracking down on crime to make our streets safe.”

Long-time Liberal also nominates

Long-serving Liberal member Richard Lange has also submitted his nomination, bringing the confirmed field to at least four candidates.

The contest follows months of upheaval within the Victorian Liberal Party over the Western Metropolitan ticket.

Earlier this year, businessman Dinesh Gourisetty defeated Moira Deeming in a delegate ballot before his endorsement was overturned after controversy surrounding a character reference he had written in an unrelated criminal matter. The party subsequently reopened the process, and following further internal disputes Deeming was eventually disendorsed by the Liberal state executive, triggering the current vacancy.

Unlike a traditional grassroots preselection voted on by local party members, the successful candidate is expected to be determined by the Victorian Liberal Party State Executive, giving senior party officials the final say over one of the Coalition’s strongest upper house positions.

With the Liberal Party seeking to reset ahead of November’s state election under Opposition Leader Jess Wilson, the outcome of the Western Metropolitan preselection is expected to be one of the most closely watched internal decisions of the campaign.

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The post Roshena Campbell emerges frontrunner for Liberal Western Metro ticket as Dinesh Gourisetty decides not to contest first appeared on The Australia Today.

The move has plunged the Victorian government into an open leadership war just four months before the November state election, ending weeks of speculation about whether discontent inside Labor would develop into a formal attempt to remove the Premier.

Mr Carroll confirmed on Monday that colleagues had approached him and asked him to nominate after concluding Ms Allan no longer commanded majority support in the parliamentary caucus.

“It is clear that the Premier has lost the majority of our Caucus,” Mr Carroll said in a statement.

He said he had subsequently met Ms Allan and informed her that he would nominate for the leadership, arguing the consequences of the November election were too serious to ignore.

A cross-factional delegation met Ms Allan before Monday’s scheduled cabinet meeting and urged her to stand aside. The group reportedly included ministers Ingrid Stitt, Gabrielle Williams, Anthony Carbines and Lizzie Blandthorn, along with backbencher Mathew Hilakari.

The involvement of MPs from Ms Allan’s own Socialist Left faction is central to the challenge. Labor’s Right did not have enough votes to remove the Premier without support from sections of the Left, which has controlled the parliamentary numbers since the party’s internal realignment after the 2022 election.

Ms Allan rejected the delegation’s request and reportedly asked the ministers involved to resign from cabinet because they no longer supported her leadership. They refused to do so, setting up an extraordinary situation in which senior ministers remain in a government led by a Premier they are actively attempting to replace.

Rather than allowing Mr Carroll to take the leadership uncontested, Ms Allan wrote to Victorian Labor state secretary Steve Staikos and formally declared her intention to stand in any leadership election.

She also asked the party organisation to prepare for a ballot should one be triggered, making clear that she intends to force her opponents to remove her through the party’s formal processes rather than leave voluntarily.

The decision represents a sharp escalation in the crisis.

Labor figures pushing for change had hoped Ms Allan would accept that she had lost caucus support and stand aside, allowing Mr Carroll to take over quickly and begin rebuilding the government’s campaign.

Instead, a contested election could involve both Labor MPs and rank-and-file party members. Under the party’s leadership arrangements, the parliamentary caucus and ordinary members would each carry 50 per cent of the final result, potentially producing a weeks-long campaign at a time when Labor is already preparing for a difficult state election.

The rules have not previously been tested in a Victorian Labor leadership contest. A prolonged ballot would leave Ms Allan and Mr Carroll publicly campaigning against each other while ministers, MPs, unions and party branches were forced to choose sides.

Political commentators argued Ms Allan’s decision showed she would not make the transition easy for her challengers, despite expectations that her longstanding loyalty to Labor would eventually lead her to stand aside to avoid further damage.

Her decision to fight means the dispute is no longer simply about who has the most support in Tuesday’s caucus meeting. It could become a wider battle over the future direction of the Victorian Labor Party and responsibility for its decline in public support.

Mr Carroll’s declaration is also a dramatic reversal.

Just six weeks ago, he stood beside Ms Allan and publicly ruled out challenging her, saying he was proud to support her leadership. At that stage, internal discussions about replacing the Premier failed to develop into a contest because no alternative candidate was prepared to nominate.

Mr Carroll now says circumstances have changed and the Premier has lost the confidence of most Labor MPs.

His supporters believe the Niddrie MP and Education Minister could give Labor a chance to reset its position on integrity, public finances, business confidence and the continuing dispute with Victorian teachers.

It is understood that a Carroll-led government would consider establishing a royal commission into alleged corruption and organised crime connected to the construction industry, seek to settle the teachers’ dispute and attempt to rebuild Labor’s standing with Victorian businesses. Mr Carroll has not yet released a full leadership platform.

Allegations surrounding the CFMEU and Victoria’s taxpayer-funded Big Build have been a major source of pressure on Ms Allan, who previously served as transport infrastructure minister while the construction program expanded.

The Premier has acknowledged that criminals operated on some Victorian construction sites and apologised for the activity, but she has repeatedly rejected calls for a royal commission. She argues police investigations, stronger regulatory powers and action by integrity agencies are a faster and more effective response.

Some Labor MPs believe that position has become politically unsustainable and that the government has failed to convince voters it fully understands the scale of the problem.

The leadership crisis has been sharpened by polling published on Monday showing the Coalition ahead of Labor by 52 to 48 per cent on a two-party-preferred basis.

The Newspoll, conducted by Pyxis Polling & Insights for The Australian, placed the Coalition on a primary vote of 31 per cent, Labor on 28 per cent and One Nation on 19 per cent.

Opposition Leader Jess Wilson led Ms Allan by 51 to 32 per cent as preferred premier, while 71 per cent of respondents said they were dissatisfied with Ms Allan’s performance.

The figures follow other surveys showing Labor losing support to the Coalition, One Nation and the Greens, particularly in outer-suburban and regional electorates.

Labor won 56 lower house seats at the 2022 election, but MPs now fear a fall in the party’s primary vote could place seats once considered safe within reach of the opposition or minor parties.

Ms Allan’s supporters dispute claims that the entire Left faction has turned against her. One minister told The Guardian that MPs within the faction had not been uniformly consulted and there was no consolidated position supporting her removal.

Attorney-General Sonya Kilkenny has continued to back Ms Allan, dismissing the leadership discussion as “idle gossip” that distracts the government from the concerns of Victorians.

The Premier’s allies will now attempt to challenge Mr Carroll’s assertion that she has lost a majority of caucus.

Those seeking to remove her face the risk of overstating their numbers before a formal vote. A failed spill would leave Mr Carroll politically damaged and could temporarily strengthen Ms Allan, although the public split would be difficult to repair.

A successful spill motion would start the process of electing a new leader. With Ms Allan and Mr Carroll both declaring their intention to contest, neither side can now assume the matter will be resolved through a quick caucus transition.

Parliament resumes on Tuesday, July 28, providing the first opportunity for Labor MPs to meet in person and test whether the factional agreements reached over the weekend translate into firm votes.

The challenge is one of the most serious internal confrontations faced by Victorian Labor since it returned to government in 2014.

Ms Allan became Premier in September 2023 following Daniel Andrews’ resignation. She had previously served as his deputy and held several senior portfolios during Labor’s years in office.

Mr Carroll became Deputy Premier during the same transition and has served in portfolios including education, public transport, industry and justice.

His decision to challenge means Labor can no longer maintain that leadership concerns are limited to anonymous internal complaints. The Deputy Premier has publicly declared that the Premier has lost caucus support, while Ms Allan has responded by preparing to fight him through the party’s membership.

The Victorian election is scheduled for Saturday, November 28. The party that wins majority support in the Legislative Assembly will form government.

Labor must now decide whether to proceed under a Premier who insists she can still lead the party to a fourth consecutive term or replace her with a deputy who argues that change is necessary to prevent defeat.

Either path carries enormous risk.

Removing Ms Allan could reinforce the Coalition’s argument that Labor is divided and consumed by its own survival. Keeping her could leave the party campaigning under a leader whom her deputy and a cross-factional group of ministers have publicly declared no longer commands majority support.

The speculation has become a contest. The only remaining questions are when the ballot will be triggered, how long it will take and whether Labor can emerge from it united enough to fight an election less than four months away.

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The post Premier Jacinta Allan refuses to resign as Deputy Premier Ben Carroll launches challenge for leadership first appeared on The Australia Today.

The reported push follows months of poor polling, internal criticism over the government’s response to alleged corruption on Big Build construction projects and growing fears among Labor MPs that the party is heading towards a heavy defeat at the November state election.

It has been reported that members of Ms Allan’s own Socialist Left faction had joined figures from the Labor Right in sounding out colleagues and assessing whether there was enough support to approach the Premier and ask her to stand aside.

No formal leadership challenge has been announced, no challenger has publicly declared an intention to run, and there is no independently confirmed caucus count showing the Premier has lost the support of her party room.

However, the latest reports mark an escalation from earlier leadership speculation because they suggest conversations are now occurring across factional lines rather than being limited to a small group of dissatisfied MPs.

One Labor figure quoted anonymously described Tuesday as the final realistic opportunity to act before the campaign entered its closing months, while another said the mood inside the government was “as grim as it’s ever been”.

The Australia Today has not independently verified the private conversations or anonymous accounts.

The Victorian Parliament is scheduled to return at noon on Tuesday, July 28, for the first of three consecutive sitting days. The return will bring Labor MPs back together in Melbourne and provide an opportunity for those seeking a leadership change to determine whether their concerns have translated into firm votes.

Ms Allan’s supporters maintain that she has no intention of resigning and remains focused on leading Labor to the November 28 election.

The Premier has previously rejected leadership speculation and declared she was “all in” and “absolutely determined to see this through”. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also publicly backed her in June, describing her as the best person to lead Victoria.

The renewed unrest has been fuelled by a JWS Research poll commissioned by Australian Energy Producers, which reportedly surveyed 1,000 voters across 28 marginal and politically important Victorian seats between June 26 and July 3.

The poll placed the Coalition ahead of Labor by 56 to 44 per cent on a two-party-preferred basis. It recorded primary support of 29 per cent for the Coalition, 24 per cent for One Nation, 23 per cent for Labor and 14 per cent for the Greens.

The result would represent a severe reversal from the 2022 state election, when Labor won 55 per cent of the two-party-preferred vote and secured 56 lower house seats. Labor’s official first-preference vote at that election was 37.03 per cent, compared with 34.37 per cent for the Liberal and National parties combined.

The latest survey should nevertheless be interpreted cautiously.

It was conducted across selected marginal and politically important electorates rather than being presented as a conventional statewide random sample. Its two-party estimate also depends on assumptions about preferences at a time when One Nation is attracting a substantial share of the primary vote.

Australian Energy Producers has an active interest in Victorian government policy and has campaigned against Labor’s restrictions on new household gas connections and broader electrification program. The organisation separately released findings from the same 1,000-person JWS survey showing opposition to parts of the government’s gas policy.

That does not invalidate the political findings, but the commissioning body, sample design, question wording and preference assumptions are important when assessing what the figures may mean for the statewide contest.

Other polling has also shown Labor losing support to the Coalition, One Nation and minor parties, indicating the government’s political problems are not confined to one survey.

A separate poll commissioned by the Victorian Trades Hall Council reportedly placed One Nation on 27 per cent of the primary vote, with Labor and the Coalition both on 26 per cent. Its modelling suggested One Nation could win several lower house seats, particularly in outer-suburban and regional communities where voters are dissatisfied with the major parties.

The leadership pressure intensified after last week’s Labor caucus retreat in Ballarat, which had been intended to reset the government’s political strategy before the election campaign.

Police Minister and Leader of the House Anthony Carbines reportedly delivered a heated intervention during the retreat, arguing the party had not done enough to address public concerns about alleged corruption and organised crime connected to the construction industry.

Accounts differed over whether Mr Carbines’ criticism was principally aimed at the Premier’s office or Labor’s campaign headquarters, but there was broad agreement that his intervention exposed deep frustration within the government.

Mr Carbines later appeared beside Ms Allan and refused to discuss what was said in caucus.

“You’re referring to the caucus conference, and I don’t comment on caucus meetings,” he told reporters.

He insisted his public position remained aligned with the government and said he was working with Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Mike Bush to strengthen the response to organised crime.

The dispute comes as the government faces continuing pressure over allegations involving the CFMEU, criminal networks and taxpayer-funded construction projects.

Ms Allan has acknowledged that criminals infiltrated parts of the Big Build but has rejected opposition demands for a royal commission, arguing that police investigations, stronger regulatory action and expanded powers for integrity agencies offer a faster response.

Several Labor MPs and ministers have privately supported a broader inquiry, while others fear the issue has become inseparable from Ms Allan’s previous responsibility for Victoria’s major infrastructure program.

The Premier has disputed an estimate that corruption and misconduct added as much as $15 billion to the cost of public projects, describing that figure as untested. However, she has not provided an alternative estimate of the financial damage.

The controversy has created a difficult political equation for Labor.

Removing a Premier four months before an election would risk reinforcing perceptions of chaos and panic. Retaining a leader whose public standing has deteriorated could place dozens of Labor MPs in danger of losing their seats.

Deputy Premier Ben Carroll continues to be discussed as the only senior figure considered capable of mounting an immediate challenge with support from multiple parts of the party.

Mr Carroll publicly ruled out challenging Ms Allan before the June caucus meeting and said he had been a loyal deputy throughout her leadership. That intervention prevented an expected showdown at the time and allowed the Premier to survive until the winter parliamentary break.

Any attempt to replace Ms Allan would therefore depend on whether Mr Carroll was prepared to reconsider that position or whether senior MPs could persuade the Premier to resign voluntarily and create a vacant leadership.

Other figures, including senior minister Gabrielle Williams, have previously been discussed as possible successors, but she has publicly backed Ms Allan and described her as an experienced leader.

Those advocating change also face the danger of launching a challenge without secured numbers.

A failed spill would strengthen Ms Allan temporarily, expose the rebels and deepen the divisions already consuming the government. It could also leave Labor campaigning under a leader who had survived an attempted coup but whose authority had been further damaged.

Conversely, a successful transition would give a new Premier only about four months to establish an identity, reshape the government’s policy agenda and distance Labor from controversies accumulated during almost 12 years in office.

The opposition is certain to portray any leadership change as evidence of a government consumed by internal conflict.

Liberal leader Jess Wilson has placed government debt, taxation, crime and alleged corruption at the centre of her campaign, while promising a royal commission into the Big Build and CFMEU-linked misconduct.

One Nation’s rise presents a separate threat to Labor in outer Melbourne and regional Victoria, where cost-of-living pressures, dissatisfaction with government services and falling trust in major institutions are reshaping traditional voting patterns.

Victoria’s next state election will be held on Saturday, November 28. Labor enters the contest with a large parliamentary majority inherited from its 2022 victory, but recent polling suggests many previously safe seats could become competitive if its primary vote remains in the mid-20s.

Tuesday will not automatically produce a leadership spill.

There may be no delegation, no challenge and no caucus ballot. Mr Carroll may maintain his public refusal to run, and dissatisfied MPs may ultimately decide that changing leaders would create more damage than it resolves.

But the continuing leaks, factional discussions and public interventions from senior ministers show that Ms Allan’s leadership remains under sustained pressure.

Labor MPs now face a decision that can no longer be delayed indefinitely: remain behind the Premier and accept the electoral consequences, or attempt a highly risky leadership change with fewer than 130 days remaining before Victorians vote.

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The post Will Premier Jacinta Allan face Tuesday showdown as Labor MPs plot leadership challenge first appeared on The Australia Today.

A notice sent to Liberal Party members confirms the state executive has reopened applications for endorsement following the disendorsement of sitting MP Moira Deeming.

Nominations will close at 5 pm on Monday, July 27, with applicants required to submit a Legislative Council application for a Liberal-held seat and an Applicant Review Committee form.

The Australia Today understands Mr Gourisetty currently has the strongest level of support among members of the state executive and is regarded by party insiders as the early frontrunner.

However, Ms Campbell is expected to mount a serious challenge, with growing support for the barrister and Deputy Lord Mayor among influential Liberals who believe the party should select a high-profile woman capable of presenting a fresh public face after months of damaging internal disputes.

The contest is not expected to be decided through a conventional preselection involving local Liberal members. The party’s state executive is expected to select the replacement, giving its members direct control over one of the safest positions available to a Victorian Liberal candidate.

Mr Gourisetty previously defeated Mrs Deeming for the number one Western Metropolitan position in March, securing 37 votes to her 29. Sitting upper house MP Trung Luu received three votes before winning endorsement for the second position.

His victory was overturned the following day after it emerged he had provided a character reference.

Mr Gourisetty subsequently withdrew as candidate, prompting a hurried reopening of nominations. Mr Gourisetty later apologised for providing the reference and acknowledged that doing so had been a mistake.

Despite that controversy, Mr Gourisetty retains support among parts of the Liberal state executive and members connected with Melbourne’s Indian and multicultural communities.

His supporters argue that he won the original preselection through a democratic ballot and remains one of the party’s best-connected figures in the western suburbs.

Any renewed candidacy would attract scrutiny over whether the circumstances that led to his earlier removal have been addressed and whether he has cleared the party’s candidate-review process.

Ms Campbell is emerging as the strongest threat to Mr Gourisetty.

A barrister and former federal Liberal candidate, she has served as Melbourne’s Deputy Lord Mayor since the 2024 council election. She previously contested the federal seat of Aston at the 2023 by-election.

Party sources have described Ms Campbell as a strong candidate with public recognition, legal experience and the ability to communicate across mainstream media and business audiences.

Her selection would also place a woman at the top of the ticket following Mrs Deeming’s removal and could help the party draw a line under the bitter internal divisions surrounding the seat.

Earlier reporting identified Ms Campbell and Mr Luu as the initial frontrunners, with some Liberal MPs supporting the elevation of Mr Luu and others within the state executive favouring Ms Campbell.

However, the possible return of Mr Gourisetty has changed the internal calculation and could turn the decision into a direct contest between his established executive support and Ms Campbell’s growing momentum.

Mr Luu is also expected to be considered.

The former Victoria Police forensic officer has represented Western Metropolitan Region since the 2022 state election and is already endorsed for the second position on the Liberal ticket.

He has built his parliamentary profile around crime, community safety, multicultural representation and services in Melbourne’s west.

Several senior members of the parliamentary party have reportedly argued that the sitting MP should be elevated to the first position rather than requiring him to defend the less secure second spot.

Former Liberal leader and shadow police minister Brad Battin was reported to have urged senior party figures to support Mr Luu.

Other names being discussed include western suburbs community advocate Jenny Matic, former Maribyrnong federal candidate Tim Beddoe and former Werribee candidate Steve Murphy.

Mr Beddoe contested Maribyrnong at the 2025 federal election, securing 30.46 per cent of first preferences and 37.35 per cent after preferences against Labor’s Jo Briskey.

Mr Murphy came within 693 votes of winning the traditionally Labor-held seat of Werribee at the February 2025 by-election.

He received 28.98 per cent of first preferences and finished with 49.18 per cent after the distribution of preferences, delivering a two-party swing of more than 10 percentage points towards the Liberals.

Both men attempted to enter an earlier reopened Western Metropolitan contest before withdrawing, while other applications were ruled invalid amid criticism of the party’s rushed processes.

Ms Matic brings longstanding Liberal Party, multicultural and western suburbs experience and is regarded as a candidate capable of appealing to migrant communities across the region.

The vacancy was created when the Liberal state executive cancelled Mrs Deeming’s endorsement earlier this month following a prolonged dispute over allegations she made against former opposition leader Matthew Guy.

Mrs Deeming remains a member of the Victorian Legislative Council but will not appear as the Liberal Party’s lead Western Metropolitan candidate at the November election.

The number one position is considered highly valuable because the Liberals secured two Western Metropolitan seats at the 2022 election, with Mrs Deeming and Mr Luu both elected.

The region covers 11 lower house districts across Melbourne’s west, including Footscray, Kororoit, Laverton, Niddrie, Point Cook, St Albans, Sunbury, Sydenham, Tarneit, Werribee and Williamstown.

The reopening gives prospective candidates only a limited period to complete the application and review requirements before Monday’s 5 pm deadline.

Until applications close, it remains unclear whether every person being discussed will formally nominate.

But Liberal sources increasingly view the contest as a battle between Mr Gourisetty’s support within the state executive and Ms Campbell’s attempt to build a winning coalition around experience, profile and electoral appeal.

The eventual decision will show whether the party prioritises its original preselection winner, a high-profile city representative, its sitting Western Metropolitan MP or a candidate with a recent electoral record in Melbourne’s west.

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The post Dinesh Gourisetty and Roshena Campbell emerge as frontrunners for Liberal Western Metro ticket first appeared on The Australia Today.

Mr Carbines was questioned on Wednesday about comments he reportedly made at Victorian Labor’s annual caucus retreat in Ballarat, where he was said to have warned that the government was failing to rebuild public trust amid continuing allegations of organised crime, corruption and intimidation linked to the construction industry and taxpayer-funded Big Build projects.

“You’re referring to the caucus conference, and I don’t comment on caucus meetings,” Mr Carbines said.

The Police Minister did not deny raising concerns during the private meeting but sought to present a united front with Ms Allan, declaring that he supported the government’s current response.

“The Premier has made it clear the government’s position on those matters, and I continue to work closely with the Chief Commissioner of Victoria Police to disrupt and dismantle organised crime wherever it may be across the state,” he said.

“My position is the government’s position.”

His comments followed reports that he had confronted Labor officials over the party’s handling of the corruption controversy and its preparations for the November state election.

Mr Carbines reportedly argued that Labor needed to respond more forcefully to the perception that corruption had been allowed to operate across major construction projects. He was also reported to have clashed with assistant state secretary Jett Fogarty during discussions about campaigning, fundraising and the party’s ability to win back public confidence.

Some Labor figures reportedly rejected the criticism and questioned why party officials were being targeted when only the Premier could change the government’s position on calls for a royal commission into the construction industry.

The closed-door intervention has exposed the political difficulty confronting senior ministers: they are publicly defending the government’s enforcement-based approach while privately facing mounting anxiety about whether that response is convincing voters.

Mr Carbines said he was holding regular discussions with Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Mike Bush about the work and powers of Taskforce Hawk.

“We have a track record of delivering changes that the police need to make sure they can be agile and nimble in being able to disrupt and dismantle organised crime,” he said.

“I have no announcements to make today, but clearly we are always working with Victoria Police on what more we can do to support them in their work to hold organised crime to account.”

Taskforce Hawk investigates alleged criminal activity connected to Victoria’s construction industry, including organised crime figures, outlaw motorcycle gangs, financial offences and the use of intimidation.

The operation began in 2024 and was elevated to a taskforce in 2025 following further allegations of violent and serious criminal conduct. Detectives recently executed warrants in an investigation into alleged false accounting and financial offending by a company said to be operating as a debt collector under the guise of industrial relations work.

Chief Commissioner Bush has previously said investigators face difficulties securing evidence from people who have allegedly experienced violence or intimidation within the construction sector.

He said police were working to reassure potential witnesses but warned that building cases against senior organised crime figures would be a long process.

The Allan government has repeatedly rejected calls for a royal commission, arguing that police investigations, stronger regulatory powers and action against labour-hire operators can deliver results more quickly.

In Parliament last month, Ms Allan said Taskforce Hawk had laid more than 88 charges and that the Labour Hire Authority had cancelled more than 150 construction industry licences. She acknowledged there was a culture within parts of the industry that needed to be cleaned up.

The government also points to a formal review of the relationship between Victorian government agencies, construction companies and unions. The government accepted all the review’s recommendations either in full or in principle, while directing criminal matters to Victoria Police and public-sector corruption allegations to the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission.

However, the controversy has continued to grow following allegations that organised crime figures, bikie associates and corrupt operators gained influence on major public construction projects through intimidation, fraud and union-linked networks.

Ms Allan has acknowledged that criminals operated on some Victorian construction sites and described violence, intimidation and organised criminal behaviour as unacceptable. She has nevertheless maintained that another inquiry would delay immediate enforcement action.

The distinction between actual criminal prosecutions and the wider perception of corruption appears to have been central to Mr Carbines’ reported concerns.

Police may continue investigating individual offences, but Labor MPs must confront a broader political question: whether voters believe the government has fully accounted for what occurred across projects overseen by Labor during more than a decade in office.

Ms Allan previously held responsibility for major infrastructure and transport portfolios during much of the Big Build’s expansion, making the controversy particularly damaging for her leadership.

The Premier has said she intends to remain Labor leader and “see it through” to the election, despite reports of internal dissatisfaction. Earlier polling indicated substantial public concern about her leadership, including among Labor supporters, although no formal leadership challenge had emerged.

Labor MP Vicki Ward sought to downplay suggestions of open conflict following the Ballarat retreat.

“As you’d expect with any group, there’s a lot of different views in the room, and we talk, we share our views, and we walk out united,” she said.

Ms Ward denied the meeting had been “testy” and said no Labor MPs had raised a royal commission during the discussions.

She also expressed disappointment that confidential caucus discussions had been leaked.

“We’ve always been a very disciplined party,” she said.

“That’s part of our culture.”

The leaking of Mr Carbines’ comments, however, has itself become evidence of deteriorating discipline inside the government.

The Police Minister is one of Labor’s most senior parliamentary figures, serving not only as a cabinet minister but also as Leader of the House. A public refusal to discuss private criticism is standard caucus practice, but his decision not to deny the substance of the reports will add to speculation about unease within cabinet and the broader Labor caucus.

Opposition business manager James Newbury seized on the dispute, claiming ministers were abandoning the Premier and announcing that the opposition intended to move a no-confidence motion when Parliament returned.

“Another Labor cabinet minister has turned their back on the Premier,” Mr Newbury said.

“They know that the Premier has got it wrong in not cleaning up corruption in this state.”

The motion is unlikely to remove the government unless Labor MPs cross the floor, but it will force government members to publicly support Ms Allan and her handling of the controversy.

It will also give the opposition an opportunity to place reported private criticism from Labor MPs alongside their public votes in Parliament.

The government remains focused on demonstrating that Taskforce Hawk, Victoria Police, IBAC and the Labour Hire Authority have sufficient powers to investigate criminality and misconduct.

But the dispute involving Mr Carbines shows that enforcement statistics alone may not have resolved concerns within Labor about the political damage.

His public position remains aligned with the Premier. His reported private warning was that the government must do more to win back trust.

With Victorians due to vote on November 28, Labor now has little more than four months to reconcile those two positions and convince voters that it has both confronted wrongdoing in the construction industry and taken responsibility for how it was allowed to develop.

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A notice submitted to Wyndham City Council’s chief executive confirms a special council meeting will be held at 5 pm on Thursday, July 23, at the Wyndham Civic Centre in Werribee to elect a replacement Mayor for the rest of the term till November 2026.

The meeting was requested following the vacancy created by Cr Singh’s resignation.

The document was signed by councillors Josh Gilligan, Mia Shaw, Shannon McGuire and Maria King.

The councillors thanked Cr Singh for his decision and acknowledged the toll the controversy had taken on his family.

The notice said,

“This acknowledgement extends to his wife and daughters who have endured a very difficult period as conscripts to the drawbacks of a family member in the public spotlight.”

The councillors also recognised that Cr Singh would continue representing Bemin Ward and said they had confidence he would remain “dedicated and committed” to his constituents and to building a liveable city.

The statement presents a markedly different tone from the political confrontation that followed revelations in March that Cr Singh had written a character reference in April 2024 for a man later convicted of child sexual offences.

The reference was written before Cr Singh was elected to Wyndham City Council. He subsequently condemned child sexual abuse, acknowledged that providing the letter had raised legitimate questions about his judgment and apologised for the distress caused, particularly to the victim and people affected by sexual violence.

However, the apology did not end the campaign against him.

On April 1, Wyndham’s other 10 councillors jointly called for his resignation, saying the community needed confidence in its mayor and that the controversy had destabilised the council. They later asked the Victorian Government to begin a process that could remove him from the council entirely.

A unanimous motion of no confidence was passed on April 27, although the vote had no legal power to remove Cr Singh from the mayoralty.

Cr Singh initially stepped aside from mayoral duties before returning later that month. He maintained that he had committed no criminal or unlawful act and said criticism had moved beyond legitimate scrutiny into a sustained political and personal campaign.

He also spoke publicly about the harm caused to his wife and children, saying his family had been subjected to threats, abuse and intense public pressure over a letter he wrote as a private citizen before entering local government.

In a video announcing his resignation, Cr Singh said he had decided to step down on his own terms so the council could move beyond the controversy and concentrate on delivering for residents. He made clear that he was resigning from the mayoralty, not withdrawing from public service.

The decision allows Wyndham to elect a new mayor while preserving Cr Singh’s mandate as the elected representative of Bemin Ward.

The latest council notice is important because it recognises that accountability and public disagreement do not justify the indefinite targeting of an elected representative’s family.

Cr Singh has accepted that writing the reference was an error of judgment. He apologised and repeatedly stated that he did not excuse or minimise the offences committed. Yet the political response continued for months, including repeated protests, parliamentary criticism and demands that he be removed not only as mayor but also from the council.

Supporters of Cr Singh have argued that the campaign became disproportionate and increasingly detached from the circumstances in which the reference was written.

He was not accused of committing an offence, interfering with the prosecution or using his position as mayor to assist the convicted man. The letter predated his election to council, and the court remained responsible for assessing what weight, if any, it should receive.

None of that removes the right of residents or councillors to question his judgment. However, it does raise questions about whether one decision should permanently erase an individual’s record of community work or justify sustained attacks against relatives who played no role in the matter.

Cr Singh was elected to Wyndham City Council in November 2024 and served as deputy mayor before being elected mayor in March 2026. At the time, he said his priorities included securing greater investment in roads, rail, health, recreation and community infrastructure for one of Australia’s fastest-growing municipalities.

The four councillors who signed the special-meeting notice said his resignation reflected a collective determination to return the council’s focus to delivering for residents “without fear or favour”.

Their statement does not erase the disagreements of recent months, nor was it signed by every Wyndham councillor. But it does provide an official acknowledgement that Cr Singh and his family endured a difficult period and that he remains capable of contributing to the city as an elected councillor.

For Cr Singh, the resignation closes a brief and bruising mayoral term. But the formal recognition from fellow councillors makes clear that it does not end his public service—or the confidence some colleagues continue to place in his commitment to Wyndham.

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Cr Singh announced his resignation in a video statement, saying he had made the decision voluntarily and believed the prolonged controversy was preventing Wyndham City Council from concentrating on residents and essential local issues.

Cr Singh said,

“This is my decision, made on my own terms.”

While acknowledging that the original character reference was an error of judgment, Cr Singh said legitimate scrutiny had developed into what he described as a sustained campaign of intimidation, threats and harassment directed not only at him but also at members of his family.

He said his resignation should not be interpreted as a withdrawal from community life or an admission that every accusation made against him had been fair.

He said, indicating he intends to remain a councillor and continue representing Wyndham residents,

“I’m not stepping away from public service.”

The resignation ends a bitter mayoral stand-off that began only days after Cr Singh was elected mayor on March 23.

Councillors had chosen him to lead Wyndham until November 2026 after the mayoral position became vacant. He had first been elected to the council in November 2024 and later served as deputy mayor.

The dispute erupted after it became public that Cr Singh had provided a character reference for Kashyap Patel, who was convicted in 2024 of grooming and sexually assaulting.

The reference was written in April 2024, before Cr Singh was elected to Wyndham City Council. It reportedly expressed continued trust in Patel and suggested the conduct was out of character.

Cr Singh subsequently acknowledged that writing the reference had raised serious questions about his judgment. He apologised to the victim, her family and the wider Wyndham community, saying he had not intended to minimise the harm caused by the offences.

However, his apologies did not end the political crisis.

On April 1, the other 10 Wyndham councillors issued a joint statement calling for his resignation as mayor, declaring that he was no longer fit to hold the position.

Cr Singh initially stepped aside from his mayoral duties but did not resign. His fellow councillors then wrote to Victoria’s local government minister asking the state government to begin a process that could lead to his removal.

He returned to his duties on April 23, saying he had accepted responsibility for writing the reference but would not allow a politically motivated campaign to force him from office.

At that time, Cr Singh described the backlash as a “sustained campaign” conducted through social media and said his family had suffered profound harm from threats and abuse.

Community campaigners rejected his argument and maintained that the dispute concerned judgment, accountability and public confidence rather than his cultural background or political associations.

Days later, councillors unanimously passed a non-binding motion of no confidence in Cr Singh and repeated their call for him to resign.

The motion could not legally remove him from the mayoralty, but it left him leading a council in which every other elected representative had publicly withdrawn confidence in him.

The controversy also led to demonstrations outside council meetings, with more than 100 people attending one protest and further rallies organised by residents calling for Cr Singh’s removal.

Federal and state political figures also entered the dispute.

Federal Labor MPs Joanne Ryan and John Lister called on Cr Singh to resign, while Ms Ryan rejected his claim that the campaign against him was politically motivated.

She argued the issue was the seriousness of the offending and the judgment involved in providing the reference, rather than Cr Singh’s political affiliations or cultural identity.

The Victorian government later appointed municipal monitors Jo-Anne Mazzeo and Jim Gifford to Wyndham City Council amid concerns about governance, strained relationships between councillors and declining community confidence.

The wider fallout also contributed to the resignation of councillor Jennie Barrera, who said the situation at the council had made her role untenable. Her departure triggered a council by-election.

In his latest video, Cr Singh again accepted responsibility for the original decision to provide the character reference. However, he drew a distinction between accountability for that decision and the months of hostility that followed.

He said criticism had gone beyond disagreement over his conduct and had become personal, threatening and damaging to those closest to him.

Cr Singh indicated that he had resisted earlier calls to resign because he did not believe elected representatives should be forced from office through intimidation or political pressure.

He also argued that public standards must be applied consistently and that the circumstances surrounding a person’s actions should not be discarded simply because a controversy has become politically charged.

However, he said continuing as mayor was no longer in the best interests of Wyndham because the council needed to return its attention to local services, community priorities and advocacy ahead of the Victorian election.

His resignation is from the mayoralty rather than the council itself.

Under Victoria’s Local Government Act, the office of mayor becomes vacant when a written resignation is delivered to the council’s chief executive. Councillors must elect a replacement mayor within one month, with the new mayor serving the remainder of the existing term.

Cr Singh and his supporters are likely to see it differently: as the culmination of a prolonged campaign that moved beyond accountability and became an attempt to destroy his reputation and force him from public life.

The video also makes clear that Cr Singh does not intend to disappear from local politics.

He thanked residents who had sent messages of support and expressed gratitude to his family for standing beside him throughout the controversy.

“Thank you for everything,” he said.

His resignation brings his brief and deeply contested mayoralty to an end.

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The post “This is my decision, made on my own terms”: Preet Singh resigns as Wyndham Mayor after months of political ‘witch hunt’ first appeared on The Australia Today.

Newspoll, conducted for The Australian, places One Nation and Labor level on 30 per cent of the primary vote. One Nation rose one percentage point, while Labor fell three points to its equal-lowest Newspoll primary vote since Anthony Albanese became Prime Minister in 2022. The Liberal-National Coalition increased two points to 19 per cent, while the Greens recorded 12 per cent.

The result leaves One Nation 11 percentage points ahead of the Coalition and suggests the party’s support has remained resilient despite intense scrutiny of Senator Hanson’s conduct overseas.

Senator Hanson’s satisfaction rating was evenly divided, with 47 per cent of voters satisfied with her performance and 47 per cent dissatisfied. Mr Albanese remained ahead in leadership comparisons, but his net approval rating stood at minus 18, while Opposition Leader Angus Taylor recorded minus 21.

The poll was taken as Senator Hanson spent much of July travelling through the United Kingdom and Europe on what she called a “fact-finding mission”.

During the tour, she addressed the Conservative Political Action Conference in London, where she claimed Australia had been “flooded” by migrants and had become “completely woke” over transgender rights. She also criticised multiculturalism, opposed the wearing of the burqa and told the audience not to apologise for being white.

Her speech was delivered to a sparse audience at the inaugural British CPAC conference, which brought together conservative and right-wing political figures from several countries. Senator Hanson also spoke at a black-tie dinner connected to the event, where tickets ranged from about $1,150 to more than $19,000.

The One Nation leader attracted further criticism after recording a podcast with British activist Tommy Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon.

During the interview, Senator Hanson linked Australia’s migration problems to the abolition of the White Australia policy and claimed, without presenting evidence, that Muslim Australians were prominently involved in defrauding the National Disability Insurance Scheme.

Senator Hanson later denied supporting the restoration of the White Australia policy.

She said in a social media response, while maintaining her opposition to immigration from some countries and to people wearing the burqa,

“Never ever have I advocated that, and I don’t believe in it as well.”

She also defended her decision to meet Robinson, arguing that politicians should be willing to speak to controversial people and hear their views.

“I’m sorry, I’m not going to back away from this whatsoever,” Senator Hanson said.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese accused Senator Hanson of “talking Australia down” while overseas and defended Australia’s record as a successful multicultural country.

Liberal deputy leader Jane Hume also condemned the comments, describing them as unnecessary, divisive, inflammatory and “totally un-Australian”.

Mr Taylor has categorically ruled out forming a federal coalition with One Nation and intensified his criticism of Senator Hanson as her party takes support from the traditional conservative bloc.

NSW Premier Chris Minns went further, warning that a Coalition-One Nation partnership would become a political “Frankenstein monster” and could damage social cohesion and confidence among Australians from non-European backgrounds.

Senator Hanson’s visit to Italy also became part of the political fight.

She attended a Dolce & Gabbana fashion show in Sicily and was photographed at a luxury resort alongside billionaire mining magnate and One Nation supporter Gina Rinehart. Senator Hanson declined to tell reporters who had paid for the visit but later said the trip had not cost Australian taxpayers “one dollar” and that she had been invited to attend the fashion event.

The episode allowed her opponents to question the contrast between One Nation’s campaigning on cost-of-living pressures and its leader’s appearance at exclusive European events.

Mr Taylor accused Senator Hanson of “living it up” in Italy while Australians were dealing with household financial pressure. One Nation has said any taxpayer-funded travel will be declared in accordance with parliamentary requirements.

Despite the criticism, Newspoll indicates the controversies have not yet produced a major electoral penalty for One Nation.

The party reached a record Newspoll primary vote of 31 per cent earlier this year before slipping to 29 per cent in June. Its return to 30 per cent suggests support remains substantially above the levels recorded after previous federal elections and continues to draw voters away from both major political blocs.

The result does not mean One Nation would necessarily win the largest number of lower-house seats at an election. Its support must be converted into victories across individual electorates under Australia’s preferential voting system, and national primary-vote figures do not show how evenly that support is distributed.

However, the poll confirms that One Nation can no longer be treated as a minor protest party with only a limited electoral base.

The Coalition’s rise from 17 to 19 per cent provides some relief for Mr Taylor, but it remains well behind both Labor and One Nation. That leaves the opposition trying to regain conservative voters without adopting rhetoric that could alienate moderate and multicultural electorates.

Labor faces a different challenge. Its decline to 30 per cent shows that attacking Senator Hanson’s language and associations does not automatically translate into stronger support for the government.

The poll does not establish that voters support every statement Senator Hanson made in Britain. It may instead reflect broader frustration over housing, migration levels, energy costs and the performance of the major parties.

Senator Hanson’s strategy has been to present attacks from Labor, the Coalition and sections of the media as evidence that the political establishment fears One Nation’s rise.

Her refusal to retreat from the Robinson interview indicates she believes confrontation will strengthen, rather than damage, her political position.

The latest Newspoll gives some support to that calculation. After a European tour dominated by arguments over immigration, race, religion and political associations, One Nation has not fallen behind.

It has instead drawn level with the governing party. It remains well ahead of the Coalition, ensuring Senator Hanson will return to Australia facing a barrage of criticism—but with her party still firmly at the centre of the national political contest.

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The decision removes Mrs Deeming from the top position on the Liberal ticket for Western Metropolitan Region and could bring her turbulent parliamentary career to an end when her current term expires.

Three-quarters of the state executive was required to support disendorsement, but the motion passed unanimously on Friday evening.

In a statement, the Leader of the Opposition Jess Wilson said, The State Executive of the Victorian Liberal Party has resolved that Moira Deeming will no longer represent the Party as a candidate for the Western Metropolitan Region in November. This matter is now concluded.

Mrs Deeming remains a Liberal Party member and, for now, a member of the parliamentary Liberal team. The vote does not remove her immediately from the Legislative Council, but it ends her endorsed path to re-election and leaves the party needing to choose a replacement candidate for the region.

The decision followed weeks of internal conflict over allegations Mrs Deeming made against former Victorian opposition leader Matthew Guy after an interaction at a community event on May 23.

Mrs Deeming alleged Mr Guy had grabbed her in a manner she initially described as feeling like “some kind of headlock”. She later acknowledged that “headlock” was the wrong term but maintained she had been grabbed, held and pulled with force, causing her pain and distress.

CCTV footage showed Mr Guy placing his hand around Mrs Deeming’s upper back or shoulder as they leaned towards each other during a conversation at the crowded function.

Mr Guy consistently denied assaulting Mrs Deeming and demanded a public apology. Victoria Police reviewed the footage and said that, following a thorough investigation, “no offence” had been detected.

Opposition Leader Jess Wilson backed Mr Guy’s demand for an apology, but Mrs Deeming refused, arguing she had made her complaint in good faith and had followed the Liberal Party’s internal processes.

In a 12-page submission to the state executive, Mrs Deeming said she could not apologise for using the party’s confidential complaints procedures and warned that removing her could discourage members from raising concerns about the conduct of colleagues.

“I should not be subjected to public vilification or professional retaliation for doing so,” she said.

Mrs Deeming proposed mediation and a joint statement acknowledging that Mr Guy had intended a friendly gesture in a noisy environment and had not realised she was experiencing distress.

The proposal failed to persuade the executive, which united behind Mr Guy and voted to end Mrs Deeming’s candidacy. She was given an opportunity to address executive members before the decision was made.

The party had originally planned to consider her disendorsement on July 3, but Mrs Deeming launched urgent Supreme Court action against Liberal Party state president Brian Loughnane in an attempt to stop the meeting.

The party agreed not to proceed with the vote while the legal dispute remained before the court. Mrs Deeming withdrew the proceedings on Wednesday after submitting her statement and mediation proposal to the executive, clearing the way for Friday’s meeting.

Mrs Deeming said the injunction had achieved its purpose by giving her time to recover, examine the evidence and prepare her response.

“The state executive, having all the evidence before them, can now decide whether to pursue mediation or reconvene to disendorse me,” she said before withdrawing the case.

The executive chose disendorsement.

The result marks another reversal in a chaotic preselection process for the Western Metropolitan Region.

Mrs Deeming initially lost the number-one position on the Liberal ticket in March.

Ms Wilson publicly supported Mrs Deeming following that outcome, but the relationship deteriorated after the allegations against Mr Guy and the subsequent apology stand-off.

The unanimous executive vote gives Ms Wilson a decisive outcome as she attempts to present a united opposition ahead of the November election, but it also reopens questions about internal Liberal divisions and the selection of a replacement candidate in Melbourne’s west.

Mrs Deeming’s relationship with the Victorian Liberal Party has been marked by repeated disputes since she entered parliament after the 2022 election.

In 2023, she attended the Let Women Speak rally outside Parliament House, which was gatecrashed by neo-Nazis. She was subsequently suspended and then expelled from the parliamentary Liberal Party following a dispute with then-opposition leader John Pesutto.

Mrs Deeming later successfully sued Mr Pesutto for defamation. The Federal Court found he had defamed her by falsely suggesting she was associated with neo-Nazis, and she was eventually readmitted to the Liberal parliamentary team.

The financial consequences of that case remain unresolved.

NSW businessman Hilton Grugeon, who funded Mrs Deeming’s successful legal action, has sought repayment. The Liberal Party provided Mr Pesutto with a $1.55 million loan to help meet legal costs awarded to Mrs Deeming, but the money remains in a trust account while a separate Supreme Court challenge to the party loan continues.

Mrs Deeming has warned that she could face bankruptcy if she cannot repay Mr Grugeon. Bankruptcy could force her removal from parliament before her term ends.

Her options now include contesting the election as an independent, seeking the support of another political party or leaving parliament when her term expires.

One Nation had previously made public approaches to Mrs Deeming during her earlier preselection difficulties, although more recent reporting indicates Pauline Hanson has ruled out recruiting her.

The Liberal Party will now turn to replacing Mrs Deeming on its Western Metropolitan ticket as it prepares to challenge the Allan Labor government at the state election, which is due to be held on the final Saturday of November.

For Mrs Deeming, the unanimous vote brings to an end another bruising fight with her own party. She remains an MP and a Liberal member, but after surviving expulsion, winning a defamation case and regaining preselection, she will no longer contest the coming election as a Liberal candidate.

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The meeting was called after Mrs Deeming abandoned legal action that had restrained the party from meeting to determine her political future.

The Supreme Court of Victoria announced on Thursday that Mrs Deeming had discontinued proceedings she initiated two weeks ago to prevent the Liberal Party’s State Executive from meeting to rescind her candidacy.

Mrs Deeming, who represents Western Metropolitan Region in Victoria’s upper house, had sought an injunction after the party moved to consider dumping her as its endorsed candidate following her complaint against former Liberal leader Matthew Guy.

The party called the Friday meeting after Mrs Deeming refused to apologise for alleging Mr Guy had placed her in a “headlock” at a Macedonian community function on May 23.

Mrs Deeming made a complaint to Opposition Leader Jess Wilson’s office and also provided a statement to Victoria Police.

Victoria Police decided not to charge Mr Guy after reviewing CCTV footage of the incident. The footage, published by The Australia Today, showed Mr Guy momentarily placing a hand on Mrs Deeming’s shoulder while the pair were seated and speaking during a noisy public function.

Police confirmed their decision not to charge Mr Guy in a letter sent to Mrs Deeming’s lawyer, Tim Houweling, earlier this week.

Mrs Deeming later withdrew the allegation that Mr Guy had put her in a headlock, but has maintained she was “grabbed, held and pulled down with force” in a way that caused pain and distress.

Mr Guy has denied wrongdoing. He and Ms Wilson have called for Mrs Deeming to apologise.

Mrs Deeming has refused to apologise, saying she made the complaint in good faith and would not apologise for something she had not done.

In a statement posted online on Wednesday night, Mrs Deeming said her injunction had achieved its intended purpose by giving her time to recover, review the facts and prepare her response.

“Having been overseas and unwell when the story broke and jetlagged and unwell when the disendorsement meeting was called, the injunction gave me time to recover, review all the facts, learn the difference between a headlock and a collar-tie grip, and gather my thoughts,” she said.

“Now that I have provided the State Executive with my statement and a mediation proposal, I have withdrawn the injunction.”

Mrs Deeming said she had respected party confidentiality, followed internal processes and obeyed the law rather than running the matter through the media.

“The State Executive, having all the evidence before them, can now decide whether to pursue mediation or reconvene to disendorse me,” she said.

“For my part, I will continue doing my work serving Victorians and fighting Labor.”

A senior Liberal source told The Australia Today the State Executive would meet at 5.30 pm on Friday to consider Mrs Deeming’s candidacy. Party rules require a three-quarters majority to disendorse a candidate, but the source said Mrs Deeming had exhausted the support she previously held on the party’s governing board.

Mrs Deeming was preselected three months ago as the Liberal Party’s number one candidate for the Western Metropolitan Region. That process was marred by controversy.

While that episode helped extend Mrs Deeming’s political career, her latest dispute with Mr Guy appears to have left her isolated inside the party.

The stoush has again exposed deep divisions within the Victorian Liberals, less than four months before the state election.

Brian Loughnane, the Liberal Party’s state president and chair of the State Executive, was the first-named respondent in Mrs Deeming’s legal action against the party until she discontinued the case.

The immediate question now is whether the State Executive accepts Mrs Deeming’s mediation proposal or proceeds with the expected vote to remove her as the Liberal candidate.

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Speaking on ABC Sydney, Albanese said he had attended every Garma Festival held since becoming Labor leader in 2019 and had informed organisers well in advance that he would not be present at the 2026 event because he would be on leave.

“I haven’t had a day off all year,” Albanese said, adding that he would instead be attending another festival in the Northern Territory.

The Prime Minister also highlighted Australia’s growing focus on First Nations engagement beyond domestic borders, including his decision to take a Yolngu leader to Fiji as part of Australia’s Pacific diplomacy.

Albanese said the engagement demonstrated the importance of incorporating First Nations perspectives into Australia’s regional relationships.

“One of the great things I did was to take a leader from the Yolngu people to Fiji for the alliance that we formed with Fiji,” he said.

“And that First Nations engagement in the Pacific has been so important.”

The Fiji visit formed part of broader efforts by Australia to strengthen ties with Pacific nations while recognising the cultural connections and shared histories of Indigenous communities across the region.

Albanese said his government remained committed to meaningful engagement with First Nations Australians and highlighted his long-standing participation in Garma, a major Indigenous cultural and governance forum held in Arnhem Land.

His comments came after criticism from political opponents who argued his decision not to attend Garma contradicted his previous commitment to attend the festival annually while serving as Prime Minister.

Albanese rejected the criticism, saying his broader record demonstrated continued engagement with Indigenous communities and that his schedule included ongoing visits and conversations across regional and remote Australia.

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The post Albanese highlights Fiji visit with First Nations elder as new chapter in Indigenous Pacific diplomacy first appeared on The Australia Today.

In a statement posted online, Mrs Deeming said the legal action had achieved its purpose by giving her time to recover, review the facts and prepare her response.

“The injunction achieved exactly what it was intended to achieve,” she said.

Mrs Deeming said she had been overseas and unwell when the story broke, and was jetlagged and unwell when the disendorsement meeting was called.

She said the injunction gave her time to “recover, review all the facts, learn the difference between a headlock and a collar-tie grip, and gather my thoughts”.

“Now that I have provided the State Executive with my statement and a mediation proposal, I have withdrawn the injunction,” she said.

The move comes after Mrs Deeming made what can be described as a last-ditch attempt to convince the Liberal Party not to proceed with what she called “indefensible” plans to disendorse her, warning the move would send a chilling message to party members who use internal complaints processes.

Mrs Deeming, who sits in Victoria’s upper house for Western Metropolitan Region, is facing the possible revocation of her endorsement as the Liberal Party’s number one candidate for the region ahead of the November state election.

The dispute stems from her complaint against former Victorian Liberal leader Matthew Guy over an incident at a community event in May.

Mrs Deeming had accused Mr Guy of assault, including initially describing the interaction as a “headlock”. Victoria Police reviewed CCTV footage and said no offence had been detected. ABC reported the footage appeared to show Mr Guy placing his hand on Mrs Deeming’s back during a conversation at the crowded function.

Mr Guy has denied wrongdoing, maintained his innocence and demanded an apology. Opposition Leader Jess Wilson backed those calls for an apology, which Mrs Deeming refused to give in the terms sought by the party.

Mrs Deeming has since accepted that “headlock” was not the correct term, but has maintained she made the complaint in good faith and should not be punished for using confidential party processes.

In her latest statement, she said she had acted properly throughout the dispute.

“From beginning to end, I progressed this issue in good faith, respected the confidentiality of all involved, submitted myself to the instructions and policies of the party and obeyed the law rather than run it through the media,” she said.

In her 12-page statement to the State Executive, Mrs Deeming reportedly argued that disendorsing her would set a dangerous precedent by discouraging party members from making confidential complaints. She said the decision would go beyond her own endorsement and would test whether members could safely use party complaint systems without fear of political reprisal.

She also argued she had not bypassed party processes, saying she reported the matter internally before going to the police and had followed instructions given under party complaint procedures.

Mrs Deeming’s statement also said her police account was deliberately restrained, did not accuse Mr Guy of violence or malicious intent, and reflected what she believed had happened at the time. ABC reported that she told police the interaction was short, painful, distressing and confusing, and that she later accepted the “headlock” description was inaccurate.

She has continued to allege she was “grabbed, held and pulled with force” in a way that caused pain and distress. Mr Guy denies the allegation.

Mrs Deeming’s statement also raised concerns about how her confidential complaint became public, with Mrs Deeming denying she leaked the matter or briefed journalists. She reportedly alleged Mr Guy had provided CCTV footage and parts of her complaint to journalists while the police investigation was underway, and said she had sought legal advice about how the material reached the media. Mr Guy was contacted for comment by The Australia Today.

Mrs Deeming’s mediation proposal included a possible joint statement that would acknowledge Mr Guy’s actions were intended as a friendly gesture in a noisy environment, while also recognising that he did not realise she was experiencing pain, fear or distress. The proposal also sought to affirm that Mrs Deeming acted honestly, privately, in good faith and in line with Liberal Party processes.

Before withdrawing the injunction, Mrs Deeming’s Supreme Court action had been seeking to stop the party from moving against her endorsement and to prevent four State Executive members from voting on her candidacy because she alleged they had real or perceived bias against her.

The Liberal Party’s State Executive had earlier agreed to postpone a meeting on her endorsement after Mrs Deeming launched legal action. The executive has 18 members, and that a three-quarters majority would be required to disendorse her. The executive process concerned her candidacy, not her Liberal Party membership or her position in the parliamentary party room.

Reportedly, senior Liberal sources had indicated the party was expected to proceed with the disendorsement push and reject mediation, despite Mrs Deeming’s proposal.

Mrs Deeming said the decision was now back with the State Executive.

“The State Executive, having all the evidence before them, can now decide whether to pursue mediation or reconvene to disendorse me,” she said.

“For my part, I will continue doing my work serving Victorians and fighting Labor.”

The latest dispute adds another chapter to years of internal Liberal conflict involving Mrs Deeming.

She was previously expelled from the Victorian Liberal Party room after attending a 2023 rally that was gatecrashed by neo-Nazis. She later won a Federal Court defamation case against then Liberal leader John Pesutto, who was ordered to pay $300,000 in damages. Mr Pesutto was later replaced by Brad Battin after a partyroom spill, and Mrs Deeming was readmitted to the Liberal party room.

The State Executive’s next move will determine whether the matter proceeds to mediation or returns to a formal vote on Mrs Deeming’s endorsement.

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Patterson, a New Zealand First MP responsible for the wool portfolio, is in New Delhi attending Bharat Tex 2026, India’s largest textile expo, where he is leading a New Zealand wool industry delegation.

The trip comes as the coalition partners remain divided over the recently negotiated India FTA, with ACT strongly supporting the agreement and New Zealand First raising concerns about aspects of the deal.

Announcing the visit before departure, Patterson said India was already New Zealand’s second-largest wool export market, with exports worth $76 million in the year to June 2025.

“It is a key market for Kiwi wool growers and exporters and there is strong potential for further growth.”

He said he would use the visit to “champion New Zealand strong wool” and promote opportunities for the country’s wool sector.

Indian-origin ACT MP Parmjeet Parmar seized on the announcement, criticising what she described as an apparent contradiction. “Sometimes it’s better to watch what people do instead of what they say,” Parmar said.

“No doubt he will be pointing out to potential customers that as soon as the Free Trade Agreement is in place, there will be no tariffs and no admin for importing New Zealand wool into India.”

Parmar wished Patterson success in opening new opportunities for New Zealand farmers, adding that the trip highlighted the benefits the FTA could deliver.

The India FTA would immediately remove tariffs on wool exports, although New Zealand First has argued its concerns relate to broader elements of the agreement rather than trade itself.

After arriving in India, Patterson responded to the political debate while highlighting the commercial purpose of the visit.

Sharing details of his delegation’s activities, Patterson revealed he had a surprise meeting with Indian Parliament Speaker Om Birla.

“I had the very great honour of a meeting with the Indian Speaker of the Parliament Hon Om Birla. The third highest ranked politician in India.”

Patterson said the meeting was not planned. The New Zealand delegation had been visiting the Indian Parliament to see its famous New Zealand strong wool carpet when Speaker Birla learned they were there and offered to personally meet them. “The Indian Parliament has a magnificent New Zealand Strong Wool carpet, hand knotted by some 900 highly skilled craftspeople. Absolutely exquisite,” Patterson said.

He said the delegation was in India to support New Zealand’s wool industry at Bharat Tex 2026, where thousands of international buyers and trade visitors are expected.

“India is New Zealand’s second largest export market for wool. India have an ambition of tripling the size of their textile industry and New Zealand Wool has a massive opportunity to help them.”

Addressing criticism of the visit, Patterson said there had been “blatant politicking” back home regarding the trip and New Zealand First’s position on the FTA.

He reiterated that New Zealand First was not opposed to trade with India. “It is well documented that it is not the trade element of the deal we are opposed to,” Patterson said.

Under the FTA, wool tariffs would fall from 2.75 per cent to zero, which he described as useful but “not a game changer” by itself.

“We have much higher ambition for lifting the value of wool to New Zealand farmers. Opening doors for our commercial sector is my role and today we made a strong start. Tomorrow Bharat Tex begins.”

New Zealand First has previously raised concerns about immigration settings and the interpretation of a clause relating to promoting $34 billion in investment into India. The Government’s other coalition partners, National and ACT, argue the clause is about encouraging investment rather than creating a binding investment obligation.

Trade Minister Todd McClay has maintained that both sides understand the clause in the same way.

Meanwhile, Patterson said the government remained committed to strengthening the wool industry, pointing to more than $65 million of investment across 25 projects aimed at innovation, high-value wool products, collaboration and supply-chain improvements.

During his India visit, Patterson is also scheduled to meet textile industry leaders, manufacturers, researchers and India’s textile minister.

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The RedBridge survey of about 6,500 Victorian voters, commissioned by the Victorian Trades Hall Council, recorded One Nation on 27 per cent of the primary vote. Labor and the Coalition were tied on 26 per cent, while the Greens received 12 per cent and other parties secured 8 per cent.

The figures point to an extraordinary three-way contest ahead of the November state election, with neither of Victoria’s traditional major political blocs establishing a clear primary-vote advantage.

RedBridge reportedly prepared seat-by-seat modelling using voters’ stated preferences and demographic information, producing low, median and high scenarios for each party.

Under Labor’s most favourable scenario, the government could secure seats in the mid-40s and narrowly retain power. Under its least favourable projection, however, its representation could fall into the 20s, ending Labor’s bid for a fourth consecutive term.

The modelling also indicates that small movements of one or two percentage points could change the outcome across several electorates because of unpredictable preference flows involving One Nation, Labor and the Coalition.

The result does not necessarily mean One Nation is on course to form government.

Victoria uses preferential voting, and converting a strong statewide primary vote into lower-house seats will depend on candidate coverage, geographic support and how preferences flow in three-candidate contests.

One Nation’s support has been strongest in regional, provincial and outer-metropolitan Victoria, while remaining comparatively weaker in inner-Melbourne electorates. The party also does not have a Victorian parliamentary leader, adding uncertainty about how its statewide support would translate into a coordinated campaign and seat victories.

The poll will nevertheless intensify pressure on Premier Jacinta Allan, whose government is attempting to rebuild support after more than a decade in office.

Victorian Trades Hall secretary Luke Hilakari is expected to brief unions on the polling and encourage a major campaign effort to improve Labor’s position before election day.

Labor has already begun framing the contest as a choice between its government and a possible partnership between the Coalition and One Nation.

A new Labor advertisement claims Opposition Leader Jess Wilson would require One Nation’s support to form government and argues that opposition spending reductions would threaten hospitals, beds and healthcare workers.

The Coalition has rejected Labor’s characterisation of its plans. It has proposed reducing government expenditure by about $22 billion over 10 years through measures including a public service hiring freeze and natural attrition, while maintaining that frontline services would be protected.

The polling presents a challenge for Ms Wilson as well as Ms Allan. Despite widespread dissatisfaction with Labor, the Coalition has not emerged as the clear alternative government and is tied with Labor while sitting behind One Nation on primary support.

It also raises difficult questions about preference recommendations, negotiations with minor parties and whether the Coalition would accept support from One Nation in a hung parliament.

The Greens, polling at 12 per cent, could also face pressure in some electorates despite the wider decline in support for the major parties. RedBridge’s reported modelling suggests the fragmented vote may place some existing Greens seats at risk rather than automatically delivering the party further gains.

The election environment could be further reshaped by proposed changes to Victoria’s upper-house voting system. The Allan government is reportedly preparing legislation to abolish group voting tickets before the election, a change that could reduce the ability of micro-parties to win seats through negotiated preference arrangements.

Victoria will hold its state election on November 28, with all 88 Legislative Assembly seats and 40 Legislative Council positions to be contested. A party or coalition needs at least 45 lower-house seats to govern with a majority.

With One Nation, Labor and the Coalition separated by just one percentage point, the poll suggests Victoria is no longer heading towards a conventional two-party contest.

Instead, the campaign is likely to be shaped by three-way contests, volatile preferences and the growing possibility that no political force will secure a clear majority.

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Responding to the recent announcement, Senator Hanson said the agreement exposed what she described as Labor’s “energy hypocrisy”. “India plans to produce three or four times Australia’s entire electricity output from nuclear technology alone, splitting Australian uranium atoms to achieve this goal,” Senator Hanson said.

“Labor’s energy hypocrisy knows no bounds. They ban nuclear energy in Australia but happily export uranium for this purpose overseas.”

The criticism follows the signing of a new Australia–India Joint Statement on Energy Security during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Melbourne, where Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Prime Minister Modi reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening cooperation on energy security, resilient supply chains and the clean energy transition.

As part of the agreement, the two leaders welcomed the signing of the administrative arrangement enabling Australian uranium exports to India for peaceful purposes under the 2015 Australia–India Nuclear Cooperation Agreement.

The arrangement is expected to support India’s growing non-fossil fuel electricity generation while creating additional opportunities for Australia’s resources sector.

The joint statement also commits both countries to closer cooperation on renewable energy, critical minerals, energy supply chains and the continued trade of coal, natural gas, diesel and other fuels.

It also welcomed progress under the India–Australia Renewable Energy Partnership, including the opening of the Rooftop Solar Training Academy in Gujarat, and a refreshed Memorandum of Understanding between Geoscience Australia and the Geological Survey of India to support critical minerals exploration.

Prime Minister Albanese said Australia and India were working together to build resilient and sustainable energy systems.

“India is an important and reliable energy partner for Australia, and we look forward to continuing to enjoy a mutually beneficial energy trading relationship.”

He added that Australia’s natural resources were vital to global energy security and said the country looked forward to becoming “a reliable, trusted supplier of uranium to India.”

Senator Hanson argued that while India plans to significantly expand its nuclear power capacity over the coming decades, Australia continues to prohibit nuclear energy despite holding more than a quarter of the world’s known uranium reserves.

She also criticised the government’s broader energy policies, claiming Australia was shutting down coal-fired power stations while continuing to export coal and natural gas overseas. “It makes no sense for Australia, with more than a quarter of the planet’s proven uranium reserves, to ban uranium mining in three states and ban nuclear energy altogether,” she said.

“We’re even supposed to be buying nuclear-powered submarines, but we can’t have nuclear-powered cities, towns and critical industries.”

The One Nation leader reiterated her party’s commitment to lifting Australia’s ban on nuclear power and proposed constructing a 1,400-megawatt advanced pressurised water reactor in New South Wales, arguing nuclear energy would provide reliable, low-emissions baseload power alongside Australia’s existing resources sector.

The Australia–India energy agreement forms part of a broader package of initiatives announced during Prime Minister Modi’s visit, aimed at deepening cooperation in energy, critical minerals, infrastructure, trade and investment as both nations seek to strengthen their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

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Ms Wilson met Prime Minister Modi on Friday alongside Federal Opposition Leader Angus Taylor and Shadow Foreign Minister Ted O’Brien, following the Melbourne Meets Modi community event at Marvel Stadium.

On Thursday evening, Ms Wilson attended the community gathering with Deputy Leader David Southwick, Shadow Minister for Multicultural and Multifaith Affairs Evan Mulholland, and Shadow Minister for Police and Corrections Brad Battin, where she formally welcomed Prime Minister Modi to Melbourne on behalf of the Victorian Liberal Nationals.

Prime Minister Modi spoke warmly about the shared values between the Liberal Party and India’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) during the meeting.

In what Ms Wilson described as a significant gesture, Prime Minister Modi invited the Victorian Liberal Nationals to send a delegation to India as observers for forthcoming state elections and also extended a personal invitation for Ms Wilson and her team to visit India.

Ms Wilson thanked the Prime Minister for the invitation and conveyed the good wishes of Victoria’s Indian diaspora community.

“It was a great honour to welcome Prime Minister Modi to Melbourne this week, and to introduce him to my team,” Ms Wilson said.

“Victoria is home to one of the largest and fastest-growing Indian communities in the country, and their contribution to our state is enormous.”

She said the meeting reflected the close relationship between Australia and India.

“Our meeting was incredibly warm and reflected the deep and enduring friendship between Australia and India. Prime Minister Modi and I discussed the profound economic, cultural, and democratic ties that bind Victoria and India together,” she said.

“Victoria is home to a dynamic Indian diaspora, and strengthening our state’s relationship with India is a key priority for my team.”

Ms Wilson said she was honoured by the invitation to visit India and to lead a Liberal delegation.

“I was deeply touched by the Prime Minister’s generous invitation to visit India and for the invitation extended to our team to observe the upcoming state elections. I look forward to leading a delegation to India to further build on these vital economic and cultural ties,” she said.

She added that she had conveyed the good wishes of Victoria’s Indian community to Prime Minister Modi: “During our meeting, I was proud to pass on the good wishes of Victoria’s thriving Indian diaspora, which the Prime Minister received so warmly.”

“The Victorian Liberal Nationals will always champion a strong and close relationship with India, and I look forward to building on the discussions we had this week.”

The meeting comes as Australia and India continue to deepen cooperation across trade, defence, education, technology and people-to-people ties during Prime Minister Modi’s third official visit to Australia.

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Speaking at the Sydney Institute on Thursday, Taylor argued that Australia had suffered the sharpest decline in living standards in the developed world and accused the Labor Government of expanding the size of government at the expense of productivity and economic growth.

“Australia is in an economic crisis,” Taylor said.

“What truly distinguishes this crisis is that, rather than government acting to protect Australians from harm, this government is the primary cause of harm.”

He claimed only the Coalition had “the strong plan and direction, strong team, and strong leadership to save Australia”.

Taylor repeatedly criticised what he described as Labor’s “big government” agenda, arguing it had fuelled inflation, weakened productivity and reduced living standards.

He accused Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Treasurer Jim Chalmers of refusing to take responsibility for Australia’s economic performance after four years in office.

“Labor has put our economy into a death loop,” Taylor said, describing a cycle in which increased government spending drives inflation, leading to higher taxes, greater debt and slower economic growth.

The Opposition Leader claimed productivity had fallen almost five per cent since Labor took office and said Australia’s economic performance had lagged behind comparable countries such as New Zealand.

Taylor outlined a series of policy priorities the Coalition would take to the next election, centred on what he described as restoring “self-determination and enterprise”.

These include introducing a “Tax Back Guarantee” that would index personal income tax thresholds to inflation, preventing bracket creep and delivering progressively larger tax reductions over time.

He also pledged to establish a Future Generations Fund to save 80 per cent of future commodity revenue windfalls for debt reduction and infrastructure investment.

For businesses, Taylor promised a $50,000 instant asset write-off and the repeal of what he called Labor’s “toxic taxes” on investment and housing.

On housing and migration, Taylor said the Coalition would cap immigration below the number of homes being built and invest $5 billion in housing infrastructure while dismantling regulations it argues are slowing construction.

“We recognise the simple, inescapable fact that you can’t bring people into this country if there’s nowhere for them to live.”

Taylor also pledged to abolish Labor’s net zero policy framework, remove carbon-related taxes on industry, vehicles and electricity, and pursue an energy mix including coal, gas, oil, nuclear, hydro, batteries and renewables.

The Opposition Leader also launched a direct attack on One Nation, warning voters against supporting the minor party despite growing public frustration with the major parties.

He described One Nation as lacking coherent policies, warned its spending commitments could cost taxpayers up to $1 trillion over a decade, and argued they would drive inflation and increase interest rates. “Australia needs change. But not destructive change,” Taylor said.

“We need constructive change.”

The address marks Taylor’s most comprehensive economic statement since becoming Opposition Leader and signals the Coalition’s campaign focus ahead of the next federal election, with cost-of-living pressures, productivity, taxation, housing and migration expected to dominate the political debate.

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In a video message posted to social media, Ms Deeming said she could not comment in detail on her ongoing legal dispute with the Victorian Liberal Party, but suggested the matter was being dealt with privately. She said the turmoil of the past three-and-a-half years had taken attention away from the work Victorians needed from their elected representatives.

“There have been so many huge distractions,” she said, apologising to constituents and supporters who had stood by her during repeated internal Liberal Party fights.

But the apology was not a surrender. Ms Deeming also used the message to thank her backers, reaffirm her support for Opposition Leader Jess Wilson, and declare she remained focused on defeating Labor at the November state election. The Australian reported she pledged to help “boot this corrupt Labor grubberment out”.

The comments come after Ms Deeming secured a reprieve in the Supreme Court, delaying any move by the Liberal Party to disendorse her as its candidate for the Western Metropolitan Region. A one-day trial is scheduled for July 17, with the party agreeing not to proceed with a disendorsement vote until the case is heard.

The latest crisis stems from Ms Deeming’s allegation that former opposition leader Matthew Guy physically assaulted her during a community event in May. Mr Guy denied wrongdoing, and Victoria Police later closed its investigation after finding “no offence detected”.

Mr Guy has demanded an apology, with Ms Wilson also backing his call. Ms Deeming has reportedly maintained she acted in good faith and said she misunderstood the term “headlock”, but she has resisted the apology demanded by party figures.

Ms Deeming’s court action argues the Liberal Party’s attempted disendorsement process denied her procedural fairness. Reports say she has sought to stop four Liberal figures from participating in decisions about her political future, alleging bias. The party’s position is that it is entitled to manage its own candidate endorsement process.

The matter is another damaging internal distraction for Victorian Liberals, who are trying to present themselves as a disciplined alternative government under Ms Wilson ahead of the November election. Instead, the party is again consumed by a familiar fight over Ms Deeming’s future.

Ms Deeming has already been at the centre of one of the most destructive Liberal Party disputes in recent Victorian political history. In December 2024, the Federal Court found former Liberal leader John Pesutto had defamed her and awarded her $300,000 in damages.

That case eventually contributed to Mr Pesutto’s removal as leader and Ms Deeming’s return to the Liberal party room. But the fallout has continued, including a separate dispute over the Victorian Liberal Party’s $1.55m loan to Mr Pesutto to help him avoid bankruptcy over legal costs.

For Ms Wilson, the timing could hardly be worse. She is attempting to keep the Coalition’s campaign focused on Labor’s record on crime, debt, cost of living and service delivery. Ms Deeming’s video sought to redirect attention back to that fight, but the court case ensures Liberal internal conflict will remain in the headlines at least until next week.

The Supreme Court hearing on July 17 will determine whether the party can proceed with moves to remove Ms Deeming as a candidate before the state election. Until then, her political future — and the Liberal Party’s ability to contain another damaging internal feud — remains unresolved.

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The opposition says the project would cover the full 8-kilometre section of Donnybrook Road from Epping Road in Woodstock to Dwyer Street in Kalkallo.

The road is one of the major routes serving Melbourne’s rapidly growing northern suburbs, including Donnybrook, Kalkallo, Mickleham, Craigieburn and surrounding estates.

According to the Coalition, about 35,000 vehicles use Donnybrook Road each day, although the road was designed to carry about 20,000 vehicles daily.

The opposition says residents in nearby housing estates can face delays of up to 40 minutes during peak periods while trying to leave their neighbourhoods.

Opposition Leader Jess Wilson said the commitment was aimed at easing congestion in one of Melbourne’s fastest-growing corridors.

“Labor has left the residents of Melbourne’s north stuck in traffic for too long, but my team has a plan to fix it,” Ms Wilson said.

“By cleaning up corruption and stopping the Big Build rorts, our team can invest in desperately needed projects like this and deliver the infrastructure growing communities deserve.”

The Coalition has used the announcement to draw a contrast between local road projects in growth suburbs and the government’s major infrastructure program.

It has accused Labor of allowing cost blowouts and corruption concerns on major projects while neglecting basic infrastructure in outer suburban communities.

Shadow Minister for Transport Infrastructure Evan Mulholland said Donnybrook Road had not kept pace with population growth.

Mr Mulholland said,

“Every single day, thousands of residents in Melbourne’s north are being punished with 40-minute waits just to get out of their housing estate.”

“Donnybrook Road has been completely overwhelmed by rapid growth, yet Labor has ignored this community while billions of dollars are wasted on cost overruns and corruption on big build projects elsewhere.

“Removing the bottleneck at the level crossing and duplicating the entire eight-kilometre stretch is part of the Liberals and Nationals plan to deliver infrastructure to the very communities that have been starved of it.”

Nationals leader and Shadow Roads Minister Danny O’Brien said growing communities had been left waiting for basic road upgrades.

“While Labor has focused on mega-projects that have repeatedly blown out in cost, basic infrastructure needs of growing communities have been ignored,” Mr O’Brien said.

“We will end the waste and stop the corruption so we can deliver projects like Donnybrook Road and make it easier for local residents to get around.”

The Allan government has previously defended its transport infrastructure agenda, saying major projects are needed to support Victoria’s growth and reduce congestion across the state.

The Coalition’s Donnybrook Road announcement is expected to form part of its wider election pitch to outer-suburban voters, where congestion, housing growth, road safety and access to public transport remain major local issues.

The northern growth corridor has seen rapid residential development over the past decade, placing pressure on roads, schools, health services and public transport.

The opposition says the duplication and level crossing removal would improve safety, reduce travel times and provide more reliable access for commuters, families and freight operators.

The state election is due on 28 November 2026.

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