For those skilled at arithmetic, the average period spent in the leader’s office over the past 26 years was artificially enhanced by the unusually lengthy six-year reign of Ted Baillieu, who actually won an election – the only Liberal leader to do so this century.
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Baillieu was succeeded as premier by Denis Napthine, who lost the 2014 election 20 months later, introducing habit-forming defeats ever since.
Napthine was one of those who had two stints as leader.
He spent a fruitless two years and 298 days in the job back at the very start of the century before being deposed by Robert Doyle (remember him?), which surely tells us something about the generous manner in which the party’s participation awards have long been handed around.
Matthew Guy was another of those who got two goes.
He served as leader for four years from 2014 to 2018, lost an election, was replaced by Michael O’Brien (remember him?), and returned for an action-packed one year and 92 days after deposing O’Brien.
Creative headlines were made for Guy – “Lobster with a ‘Mobster’” seems unlikely to be forgotten this side of the Rapture – but no one knew quite what to say when, during his tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth II, Guy referred to King Arthur. Hansard mercifully changed the reference to an actual king, Alfred, but no throne of any type awaited Guy.
His exciting period at the top ended in a second mighty election loss, when the Liberals found themselves with precisely 19 seats, cobbling together a telephone box-sized opposition with the Nationals’ nine seats against Labor’s 56.
And so the unfortunate John Pesutto was handed the keys to the leader’s office.
Pesutto for a nanosecond appeared to have a chance of mounting a halfway feasible challenge to the Labor government. But then came Moira Deeming, and let’s not go there.
Today, it’s Jess Wilson stepping to the front of the restive little class.
Wilson surely deserves a participation award and an encouragement certificate too, and would be well advised to keep a sharp eye out for those who fancy their skill at arithmetic, otherwise known as the number-counters.
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