Jess Wilson has barely put a foot wrong since becoming Victorian Liberal leader a little under a year ago. That was until this week, which ended with her campaign bus reversing into a small business.
The bus was launched on Friday, a few days earlier than planned, in what appeared to be an effort to reset Wilson’s relationship with the Spring Street press pack.
A day earlier, journalists had been left waiting for an hour as Wilson announced a $۱۰۰m investment in medical research to an enthusiastic room of researchers at the Burnet Institute. But when it came to questions she stayed for just four minutes and ۳۹ seconds – answering a single question from each of the nine journalists present before cutting the press conference short.
The pack had been keen to press Wilson on Labor’s claim that the Coalition’s election policies would cost $۶.۳۵bn more than they had disclosed.
The treasurer, Colin Brooks, had earlier spent ۲۰ minutes taking journalists through a glossy booklet Labor titled “Jess Wilson’s Dodgy Costings”, which detailed ۳۰ Coalition promises it claimed had not been costed and dozens it said the opposition had underquoted.
It was an interesting stunt given Labor has its own cost blowouts and financial problems – including net debt that is forecast to reach $۱۹۹bn within four years. But they are not the only ones questioning how the Coalition plans to deliver a surplus by ۲۰۳۲ while making $۸bn worth of election promises, offering tax cuts and vowing not to cut frontline services.
The Liberals have made much of their credentials as better economic managers than Labor and Wilson, as shadow treasurer, should have been prepared to stay and defend her own numbers.
The moment played into Brooks’s suggestion earlier in the day that the Liberals “don’t want to be subject to the scrutiny of having journalists … asking questions during the day”.
“They’re thinking they’re going to coast home to this election result, and that’s treating the Victorian people with contempt,” he said.
A similar thing happened last week, when Wilson’s team cancelled a press conference amid confusion over the Coalition’s plan to “pause and review” the multibillion-dollar Suburban Rail Loop project.
Then there is the debate brouhaha. Both News۲۴ and Nine had requested a debate involving Wilson, the Labor premier, Ben Carroll, and the One Nation leader, Warren Pickering – given the latter is now commanding about ۲۰% of primary votes in most polls.
Wilson has refused, instead insisting on a traditional one-on-one format with Labor, arguing that only the two major parties could form government. Carroll wants Pickering to be included – seemingly keen to keep alive the idea of a Liberal-One Nation coalition, despite polling suggesting the Liberal-National Coalition should be able to win government in its own right.
Last week, News۲۴ seemed to resolve the impasse by also inviting the Greens leader, Ellen Sandell.
But no agreement has been reached on Nine’s proposal. Wilson issued a statement on Thursday saying she had agreed to debate Carroll next week. This time Labor refused, claiming Nine has offered Pickering the opportunity to appear in a separate ۱۰-minute segment during the same broadcast.
The Liberals reset on Friday, unveiling the “Jess Express” campaign bus.
Wilson was joined by her team and recruits from Canberra – including her close friend and federal Liberal senator James Paterson, and Kane Silom, who has taken leave from his role as communications director for the federal Liberal leader, Angus Taylor, to work on the Victorian campaign.
She chatted with journalists on the bus before it arrived at a Bentleigh cafe, where she made coffees and served brunch before a press conference, this time clocking in at more than ۲۰ minutes.
Pressed again on her party’s costings, she said voters would have to wait until after early voting begins to see them.
“We cannot release our costings until the government has released its pre-election budget update,” Wilson said.
She batted off questions about the Liberals’ latest election commitment – to sell $۱.۳bn worth of government-owned land. Labor says this is more “dodgy costings” as it includes land earmarked for first home buyers, and a plot where radioactive cow carcasses were buried that would cost millions to clean up.
“Those costs have been factored in as part of the independent costings by the Parliamentary Budget Office,” Wilson said.
Then it was back on the bus and to the Centre Road shops – one of which became the victim of the Jess Express.
But perhaps there’s a glimmer of hope. Despite the damage, the store owner wasn’t too fussed, provided his awning is repaired.
Nor was it enough for him to rule out voting Liberal – he said he was still undecided.
It will take a little more to stop the Coalition momentum at this stage of the campaign.
