Brad Battin has won the Victorian Liberal leadership, with Sam Groth serving as deputy. (ABC News)
Brad Battin will be the next leader of the Victorian Liberal Party, following a tumultuous few weeks that saw John Pesutto booted as opposition leader.
The Liberal Party will now seek to reunify, following a long legal battle between Mr Pesutto and exiled MP Moira Deeming.
The bruising conflict created divisions inside the party room, including the resignation of MP Sam Groth from the front bench in protest at the way Ms Deeming was treated.
Mr Groth, a former tennis player who was elected as Nepean MP in 2022, will now serve as Mr Battin's deputy.
Mr Battin has served in parliament since joining the Baillieu government in 2010, elected as the Member for Gembrook.
The seat was abolished in 2022, with Battin winning the newly revived seat of Berwick.
Brad Battin has served in parliament since 2010. (ABC News)
Mr Battin has had several careers prior to politics, working as a Victoria Police officer from 2001 to 2007 and running a bakery from 2007 until his election in 2010.
But Mr Battin has now secured his most high-profile role as new opposition leader, with the task of returning the Coalition to government in Victoria for the first time in a decade.
Third time's the charm for Battin in Liberal leadership contest
Mr Battin's ascension to the Victorian Liberal Party leadership has hit roadblocks in recent years.
In March 2021, Battin attempted to oust then-leader Michael O'Brien, but was defeated in a 22-9 vote. Mr Battin then resigned from the shadow ministry.
"There are lots of lessons in life, but I don't have regrets," Mr Battin said at the time.
"I believe I have a very good resume. I thought that my resume … is a strong resume [and] that I could lead in the future."
Bttin previously lost out on the Liberal leadership to Michael O'Brien and John Pesutto. (ABC News/AAP: James Ross, Diego Fedele)
After the Liberal Party lost the 2022 state election, leader Matthew Guy resigned and Mr Battin once again ran for the leadership.
The margins were much closer this time, with Mr Battin losing out to John Pesutto in a 17 – 16 vote.
On Friday, Mr Battin prevailed in a three-cornered contest between Kew MP Jess Wilson and Mornington MP Chris Crewther.
Chris Crewther, Brad Battin and Jess Wilson all threw their names into the ring to become the new Victorian Liberal leader. (ABC News: Barbara Miller/Facebook/AAP: Joel Carrett)
The party's latest leadership struggle drew bemusement from Victoria's Labor government, with Deputy Premier Ben Carroll saying on Monday that the Liberal Party would remain divided.
"You can always change the jockey in the Liberal Party, but they’re not changing the horse," Mr Carroll said.
"No matter who leads them, they are going to be divided down the centre, 14-14."
Former police officer says he's committed to addressing crime
Mr Battin was a senior constable with Victoria Police, a role he described in his inaugural speech to parliament as "the greatest job on earth".
The 49-year-old specialised in youth crime, and took that experience into roles as shadow police minister and shadow minister for youth justice.
Mr Battin has made crime a key policy during his tenure in parliament, even testing party lines to support raising the age of criminal responsibility.
“Every week I would engage with kids in that age range … and almost without fail, if you looked at their history, you could identify them as high risk at a very young age because they had a parent in jail or with addiction problems, a lack of family support, had been in and out of care – a whole range of things," Mr Battin told The Age in 2021.
“You can’t just raise the age and think these kids will walk home and be fine. No, we need the systems.
"But if we can do that successfully, we will save a fortune in the long term for not putting these kids in jail.”
Brad Battin was elevated to the Victorian Liberal Party's top job in a meeting on Friday. (AAP: James Ross)
In his first speech as leader, Mr Battin said crime and cost-of-living crises were hurting Victorians — and fixing the budget was a top priority.
"We know that the budget is out of control, we need to have a program that we can reduce the budget burden here in Victoria," he said.
"We also know that our roads are crumbling,
"It is so important we fix those roads and we will ensure that we have a policy for that."