The Victorian premier has accused opposition leader Jess Wilson of aligning with One Nation and Barnaby Joyce after withdrawing from a regional conference under pressure.
The Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, has escalated her criticism of the opposition leader, Jess Wilson, accusing her of siding with political “extremes” despite pulling out of a conference headlined by Barnaby Joyce.
Wilson’s office confirmed on Tuesday she would no longer appear at the Across Victoria Alliance conference in Horsham on 9 February, citing an “unavoidable scheduling conflict”.
The withdrawal followed sustained pressure from Allan after Joyce’s appearance at the event was announced in January, weeks after he defected from the Nationals to join One Nation.
Joyce is scheduled to speak at the conference against the Victorian government’s removal of third-party objection rights for renewable energy projects and expanded powers for VicGrid to access private land without landholder consent.
Despite Wilson’s withdrawal, Allan said the opposition leader’s instincts remained unchanged, accusing her of prioritising opposition to renewable energy reforms over addressing the state’s energy transition.
Allan said Wilson’s willingness to appear at the event demonstrated a broader Liberal party tendency to oppose renewable infrastructure and align with fringe political positions.