Victoria’s Energy and Climate Action Minister Lily D’Ambrosio has escalated pressure on the state opposition after reports that members of Opposition Leader Jess Wilson’s team have been in discussions with One Nation.
Responding to coverage claiming that at least two members of Ms Wilson’s team have engaged in talks about defecting, the minister said the developments followed “the dramatic departure of her Deputy Sam Groth, who quit because the Liberals spend too much time fighting each other.”
The comments come after the Herald Sun reported that One Nation has been speaking with Victorian Coalition MPs, a claim attributed in the paper to Barnaby Joyce.
The minister described the situation bluntly, saying, “It is clear Jess Wilson is presiding over a toxic workplace and no one trusts her.” She added that Ms Wilson “needs to come clean immediately and reveal which Liberals are in discussion with Barnaby Joyce.”
“This is a baseless claim by an increasingly desperate and unstable Labor Government”
The minister contrasted the reports with the government’s priorities, saying, “While the Liberal Party continues to fight each other, we’re focused on new solutions to make life easier and more affordable.”
The opposition has not publicly confirmed any internal discussions. The minister’s statement places the onus on Ms Wilson to address the claims directly, framing the issue as one of leadership and internal stability at a time when attention is sharpening ahead of the state election.
The opposition rejected the claims outright. Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council Evan Mulholland said, “This is a baseless claim by an increasingly desperate and unstable Labor Government.”
“After a decade of neglect and mismanagement, Labor have run out of ideas and are more focused on the Liberals, than Victorians suffering under cost of living pressures and stuck in traffic on crumbling roads,” he said.
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