In short:
The Liberal Party has endorsed Melbourne Deputy Lord Mayor Roshena Campbell as its main upper house candidate for the Western Metropolitan Region, replacing Moira Deeming. The appointment marks the party’s third lead candidate for the seat since March following months of preselection upheaval.
Liberals Hope Third Time's A Charm
The Liberals have endorsed Roshena Campbell as their main upper house candidate for the Western Metropolitan Region — the party’s third choice since March.
Melbourne’s deputy lord mayor will replace Moira Deeming in the top spot after defeating current Liberal MP Trung Luu, who will now have to recontest for the second position on the ticket.
In July, the Liberals disendorsed Deeming following controversy surrounding a police report she made against then-colleague Matthew Guy.
“On Council, I’ve seen first-hand the problems our state faces. From crime being out of control to struggling families and businesses, and I’m ready to help deliver our plan to fix it,” Ms Campbell said.
“My parents lived in Point Cook, and I also spent many years volunteering at the Footscray soup kitchen. Residents of the West are hardworking families from all backgrounds, and they have been let down by a bad government.
“Locals in the West have been neglected for too long by this Labor Government, with rising crime, rising costs and a government who can’t even do the basics, like fix the pothole-riddled roads.
“The West is the heart of multicultural Victoria, and I am passionate about ensuring our multicultural communities are heard and supported.”
(Melbourne Lord Mayor Nick Reece, Roshena Campbell and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi)
Move Not Without Its Critics
However, not everyone welcomed the appointment, with Brimbank Deputy Mayor Maria Kerr criticising the decision.
“What a slap in the face to all Liberals in the western suburbs that they had to preselect someone to lead the west with zero connection to the west, a failed candidate for Aston who lives in Brunswick,” Cr Kerr said.
“No wonder I left the party along with hundreds of others.”
The chaos surrounding the gig began in late March when Dinesh Gourisetty was preselected ahead of Deeming as the Liberal Party’s main upper house candidate for the Western Metropolitan Region.
That decision quickly backfired after it emerged Mr Gourisetty and Wyndham’s then-mayor, Preet Singh, had each provided character references for a man who was later convicted of child sexual offences.
Deeming was ultimately reinstated as the Liberals’ lead candidate before being dumped again in July, paving the way for Campbell’s endorsement.
