Victoria’s new Liberal leader Jess Wilson has made an emphatic pitch to younger voters, declaring that her top priority is to make home ownership achievable again for a generation that has “given up hope”.
Days after seizing control of the fractured Liberal Party in a dramatic leadership spill, Wilson sat down for an exclusive interview with the ABC to outline her vision.
Emerging from the party room victorious on Tuesday, the 35-year-old first-term MP became the first woman ever to lead the Victorian Coalition. Her rise, which came at the expense of former leader Brad Battin, has already triggered intense scrutiny over her age, experience and ability to rebuild a party plagued by internal division and repeated leadership turnovers.
Despite this, Wilson insists generational change will work in her favour. “Millennials will be the largest voting cohort at the next election,” she told the ABC. “I’m just like them — I’m working, I’m a mum, I’m juggling. I think I can connect with Victorians in a different way.”
Housing at the centre of her leadership
Wilson has identified four pillars that will shape the opposition’s platform ahead of the November 2026 election: the budget, crime, health and, most notably, housing.
She said young Victorians no longer believe they will ever save enough for a deposit, let alone secure a place on the property ladder. “The fact is, young Victorians have given up hope,” she said.
Her central pledge is to overhaul property taxes to bring down the cost of buying a home. “Over 40 per cent of the cost of a new home is taxes, fees and charges,” she said. “That makes it simply unaffordable.”
Wilson said a Liberal government would “look at all the taxes that sit on property” and redesign them with the single goal of making homes more attainable, especially for first-home buyers.
She sharply criticised the Allan government’s housing agenda, arguing that Labor’s reforms force Victorians into a narrow model of high-density living. “This government has decided every Victorian should live in an apartment,” she said. “People want choice. It doesn’t have to be a one-size-fits-all approach.” She said townhouses and new greenfield developments must be part of the state’s long-term solution.
A contrast with Labor’s recent wins
Wilson’s focus on housing signals she is preparing for a direct policy confrontation with Premier Jacinta Allan. Labor has already delivered major legislative packages this year on both crime and housing — reforms that neutralised Brad Battin’s crime-focused strategy and contributed to his political undoing.
Now, Labor hopes to do the same with Wilson. But the new Liberal leader believes her generational appeal and commitment to broadening housing options will resonate with frustrated voters seeking alternatives.
Leadership challenges and party unity
Wilson is the party’s third opposition leader in just 11 months and the seventh since 2012, placing her at the helm of a deeply divided organisation. She acknowledged the chaos but insisted she will keep the party focused.
“Things happen in the party room, and we move on,” she said. Asked how she would convince Victorians to trust a party that struggles to trust itself, Wilson said she understood the concerns but vowed to lead with openness. “I will listen, I will understand their concerns, and we’ll work through them,” she said. “My team knows we must now focus on the next election.”
For Wilson personally, the weight of her historic leadership is still sinking in. “It’s a proud moment for the party,” she said. “I hope lots of women come behind me, and I can help them up that ladder.”
With pre-poll voting beginning this time next year, Wilson has little time to stabilise her party, sharpen its message and convince Victorians that the Liberals deserve another chance at government. Her ambitious housing agenda — and her ability to speak directly to younger voters — will be at the centre of that effort.
