Pressure is mounting on local MP and Opposition Leader Brad Battin after continued decline in opinion polls less than a year since he took the reins of the Liberal Party.
Polling by Resolve Political Monitor, commissioned by Nine Newspapers, shows Labor has closed the gap with the Liberal Party to a 32/33 percent split, respectively.
When Brad Battin ousted John Pesutto for the leadership in December last year, the Liberal Party enjoyed a lead of 42 per cent over Labor’s low of 22 per cent in preferred party.
Last month, a Newspoll survey showed Labor would win the election if held at that time with a 53–47 lead in two-party preferred.
This has been accompanied by growing questioning from the metro newsrooms with the Age splashing the new polling on last Wednesday’s front page and the Herald Sun ran a full page column the Friday before by conservative radio host Steve Price where he said Mr Battin was “not cutting through” as a leader and that most Victorian’s would “struggle to even name him.”
The Tuesday following the column saw Mr Battin appear at the site of a murder in Dandenong where he reportedly spoke to media.
The move sparked criticism from the state government which was carried by media attention where Mr Battin responded by doubled down on his initiative and said he will keep attending crime scenes to emphasis Victoria’s crime woes.
On Friday, the Herald Sun reported that Liberal MPs are mulling the possibility of a new leadership challenge with one anonymous MP saying an attempt to roll Mr Battin was “inevitable”.
Another leadership spill could result in their fifth new leader in just four years.
Early policy announcements under Mr Battin’s leadership have been hampered by party infighting, with key press conferences around such policies as toughening bail laws and slashing stamp duty being derailed by the fallout of the preceding leader, John Pesutto’s defamation case with Moira Deeming and various allegations against deputy leader Sam Groth.
Despite the turbulence of Mr Battin leadership, he is still favoured as preferred Premier over Jacinta Allan, according to Resolve.
Mr Pesutto led as preferred Premier at the time that he was deposed as leader.
