Victorian Shadow Minister Jess Wilson has dismissed reports her party is unsure about its future direction after Sam Groth’s resignation from the frontbench last week.
Groth, the former Australian tennis star–who was the shadow for tourism, sports, and events—said he could not continue in the role while John Pesutto remained the Liberals’ leader.
He made the decision after Pesutto refused to quit in light of a Federal Court decision on Dec. 12, when Justice David O’Callaghan found he defamed former Liberal MP Moira Deeming five times after a women’s rights rally in March 18 last year.
The “Let Women Speak” rally was interrupted by a group a neo-Nazis, which led to media reports linking Deeming to the small group of men.
“In good conscience, I can no longer continue to serve in this role,” Groth said in a statement last week.
Groth, Wilson, and ministerial colleagues Brad Battin and James Newbury had been mentioned in media reports as possible challengers to Pesutto.
When asked about this, Wilson—also the Liberal member for Kew and shadow minister for finance—said she was solely focused on delivering better education and financial alternatives for Victorians.
“That [Groth stepping down from the frontbench] is a matter for Sam, to be perfectly honest,” she told The Epoch Times.
“I’m just focused on doing my job; that’s why I’m out in the community listening to people.
“I’m the shadow minister for education and the shadow minister for finance. That’s my focus,” she added, saying she wanted to be the best local member she could be.
When asked about morale within her party, Wilson said all Liberal shadow ministers remained united in the belief that Victorians wanted a change of government.
“We are firmly focused on the fact that we are in record debt and we’re seeing a housing crisis,” she said.
“Education is in disarray and the VCE exams were a debacle, and we’re seeing the government go ahead with projects like the Suburban Rail Loop, which they cannot afford.
MP Says Ombudsman Should Probe Exam Question Leak
A publishing error that saw Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) exam questions released early affected 65 different exams, with the Allan Labor government pledging a full review into the incident.It added that it would appoint an independent monitor for next year’s exams.
The chief executive of the VCE exam authority, Kylie White, subsequently resigned, while Education Minister Ben Carroll apologised to students.
Wilson said the exam debacle was “unacceptable.”
“What we’ve seen now is 65 exams compromised. The minister knew and the Victorian assessment body [Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority–VCAA] knew about this debacle two weeks before the exams started,” she said.
Wilson said she would continue to push for those responsible for the exam question leaks to be held accountable.
“It needs to be referred to the Ombudsman so we can have a proper independent investigation, and so this never happens again,” she said.
Minister Carroll said the Allan Labor government would do everything it could to ensure such a leak never happened again.
“Students have worked incredibly hard to get to this point, and they can be assured that the results they receive are accurate, fair and reliable,” he said.
“However, I’d also equally recognise that students deserved better. This should not have happened in the first place, and I’m doing everything I can to ensure that this publishing error is never repeated again.
Debt Issues Could Impact Police, Health Services
Victoria’s Treasurer Tim Pallas stepped down this week, with Premier Allan tapping Jaclyn Symes to take on the role.Symes was sworn into her new role on Dec. 19, less than a week after the government revealed the state’s budget deficit had blown out by $1.4 billion.
The state’s debt will be $155.2 billion this financial year, rising to $168.5 billion in 2025-26, $179 billion in 2026-27 and $187.3 billion in 2027-28.
When Pallas took on the role of treasurer in 2014, Victoria’s net debt was just $21.2 billion.
Wilson also said these numbers were unacceptable.
“The consequence of that [debt] is not being able to invest in more police officers, not being able to make sure we have more hospital beds, not being able to invest in our education system,” she said.
Wilson said many Victorians were starting to wake up and realise these financial pressures would not be sustainable in the coming years.
She added wait times for police and ambulance services would only increase as the state debt grew larger.
“I think Victorians are feeling the price of Labor’s economic mismanagement. They know that now when they call for an ambulance they have to think in the back of their heads ‘am I going to get one?’” she said.
“So they are feeling it, and the cost-of-living pinch is affecting every single Victorian. And what the Victorian government is doing is pushing up demand, which is leading to inflation,” Wilson added, pointing to the Big Build infrastructure prrojects.
Meanwhile, Allan has defended Pallas’ record, the state’s longest-serving treasurer.
“That’s a remarkably long period of service in a really tough job, a challenging job,” she said.
“There are Victorians in a job right now because Treasurer Tim Pallas has driven that focus on keeping Victorians in work.”
