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National

Victorian Opposition Leader John Pesutto urges unity after Matthew Guy attacks senior Liberals

Former Victorian Liberal leader Matthew Guy led the party when it suffered heavy election losses in 2018 and 2022. (ABC News: Margaret Paul)

Victorian Liberal Opposition leader John Pesutto is urging party unity after former leader Matthew Guy attacked senior Liberals over past election losses.

Mr Guy told Nine newspapers that party president Greg Mirabella should resign, and he accused senior Liberals of leaking against the Coalition during last year's campaign. 

Mr Pesutto said there was no point singling out individuals over the November election defeat and all elected Liberal representatives and members should "focus on the future". 

"I have a lot of time for Matthew and how he's feeling at the moment," Mr Pesutto said on Saturday.

"I don't think there's any purpose to be served in going over the past repeatedly."

Victorian Opposition leader John Pesutto has called for party unity.  (ABC News)

Political analyst Kos Samaras said Mr Guy had no right to complain after leading his party to landslide election defeats in 2018 and 2022.

"He's crashed the Hindenburg twice so I think it's very unusual … to criticise other individuals," Mr Samaras, the head of political strategy firm Red Bridge Group, said. 

"It's time for him to move on and give the next generation a go." 

Mr Samaras, who is a former Labor campaign director, said Mr Guy started the last state election campaign well, promising hope to Victorians who sorely needed it. 

Kos Samaras says the Victorian Liberal Party must make way for the next generation.  (Peter Healy)

"Then they proceeded to run a negative campaign which effectively counteracted that narrative," he said. 

However the Coalitions' losses in Victoria were not just due to Mr Guy, he said, but the result of "demographic problems". 

"They are securing one in five millennial and generation Z Victorians," Mr Samaras said. 

"Of the 1.2 million votes that the Coalition secured in last November, about 900,000 of those are over the age of 55."

The election loss had nothing to do with leaks during the campaign because the average voter pays little attention to such things, he said. 

The ABC has contacted Mr Guy for comment.

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