John Pesutto

John Pesutto (born 5 September 1970) is an Australian politician and lawyer serving as the Leader of the Opposition in Victoria, holding office as the leader of the Victorian Branch of the Liberal Party of Australia. He has been a member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for the inner-city division of Hawthorn since 2022, and previously from 2014 to 2018.

Early life and career
Pesutto studied at Catholic Regional College Traralgon from 1983 to 1988, and studied a Bachelor of Laws/Bachelor of Commerce at the University of Melbourne from 1989 to 1993. He worked as a lawyer for Littleton Hackford from 1994 to 1996, as an Electorate Officer for Russell Broadbent from 1996 to 1997, as a lawyer for Henty Jepson & Kelly from 1997 to 2006, as a lawyer for Phillips Fox from 2006 to 2009, as a self-employed consultant from 2009 to 2011 and Director of the Productivity and Employment Unit with the Institute of Public Affairs in 2010, and in the Office of the Premier from 2011 to 2014 as Counsel to Denis Napthine, Chief of Staff to the Health Minister and as a senior advisor to Ted Baillieu. During his career in private legal practice, Pesutto practised with a focus on industrial relations and employment matters, while his consultancy had a focus on advising government departments and public sector agencies on governance and performance issues.

After losing his seat in the 2018 Victorian state election, Pesutto took up an honorary post in the school of government at the University of Melbourne, established his own consultancy firm called Hugo Benice Advisory offering legal work and media, government and competition advice, and maintained a presence in the media through writing columns for The Age and appearing on ABC Radio and Joy FM.

Political career
Pesutto ran for Liberal preselection for Kooyong at the 2010 federal election but lost to Josh Frydenberg. Pesutto also ran for preselection in Deakin at the 2013 federal election but lost to Michael Sukkar.

Pesutto was pre-selected as Liberal Party candidate for Hawthorn after defeating John Roskam of the Institute of Public Affairs for the position. He was successful at the 2014 state election. He was Shadow Attorney-General in Matthew Guy's first shadow ministry. He was defeated at the 2018 state election. He was a panelist on ABC on election night when he was told on live television that he had lost his seat to Labor's John Kennedy.

On 14 December 2021, John Pesutto was again endorsed as the Liberal candidate for Hawthorn at the 2022 Victorian state election. Pesutto won re-election in the state election on 26 November 2022 against Labor incumbent John Kennedy and teal independent challenger Melissa Lowe on a 1.7% margin.

Opposition leader (2022–present)
After Liberal leader Matthew Guy announced his resignation, Pesutto announced his candidacy for Liberal leader. Pesutto was elected leader of the Liberal Party on 8 December 2022, winning the party room ballot by one vote against Brad Battin.

Moira Deeming controversy
Under Pesutto's leadership, in March 2023 his party considered expelling Liberal MP Moira Deeming from the party, but opted to suspend her from the party room for nine months. Deeming later initiated legal action against Pesutto after he declined her demand to issue a media statement saying that he does not consider her a Nazi or Nazi sympathiser. This saga was part of a crisis within the Victorian Liberal Party in May 2023, when Pesutto's leadership was undermined by members of the hard-right faction of the Liberal Party, who two Liberal MPs labelled ‘terrorists’. Liberal Party elder Tony Barry described the situation as “The Victorian Liberal Party is like the space shuttle Columbia slamming into the Hindenburg and then landing on the deck of the Titanic". Federal Liberal Party leader Peter Dutton on 5 May 2023, refused to rule out an intervention into the Victorian Liberal Party. Deeming was eventually expelled on May 11, 2023, by a vote of 19–11. The vote was widely considered a test of Pesutto's leadership of the parliamentary Liberal party. At the 20th of May 2023 Liberal state council meeting in Bendigo, Pesutto was booed by attendees for his handling of situation.   The controversy resulted in the Victorian Liberals recording their lowest ever primary vote of 23% in published opinion polls. The Federal Liberal Women's Committee condemned Pesutto for suspending Deeming, and demanded Pesutto apologise and immediately reinstate Deeming to the partyroom.

Pesutto's actions in relation to the Moira Deeming affair had led to three defamation lawsuits being filed against him by Deeming, Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull and Angela Jones,  with the three cases set be heard together in a 15 day trial to commence on 16 September 2024. On 16 May 2024, Pesutto settled the two cases involving Kellie-Jay Keen and Angie Jones, with the Deeming case remaining in place; Pesutto issued a public apology to the two, and as part of the settlement, he did not have to pay compensation as part of the settlement, but would share a portion of the legal costs.

Political views
Pesutto is considered to be factionally moderate within the Liberal Party. However, Pesutto has been criticised for failing to demonstrate or affirm his moderate credentials during his time in the Victorian parliament, and for consistently opposing progressive social policies.

In early 2023, leading up to the unsuccessful 2023 Australian Indigenous Voice referendum, Pesutto remained undecided, citing a lack of detail on the proposal and allowed party room members to have a conscience vote. In January 2024, Pesutto announced that the Coalition would withdraw its support for a state-based treaty with Indigenous communities.

In January 2024, following an increase in overdoses at music festivals, Pesutto argued against pill testing measures, asserting "the health and safety of young Victorians needs to come first, and there are ways to promote that health and safety without the risks that surround pill testing". Pesutto is opposed to legislation seeking to increase the age of criminal responsibility from 10 to 14 years old, citing concerns over potential escalation in youth crime rates.

Pesutto has pledged to pause and review the Suburban Rail Loop if the Coalition wins government in 2026, citing concerns about rising state debt, cost uncertainty, and the lack of funding available for other transport projects including the Western Rail Plan and Melbourne Airport Rail.

Personal life
A resident of Hawthorn for over 25 years, Pesutto is married to Betty, and has three daughters.

He has described himself of being "from the Greek parts of Italy".