Victoria's new Liberal leader Jess Wilson makes pitch to young voters, promising action on home ownership

Home ownership is the great Australian dream, and Victoria's newest opposition leader has plans to make it a reality again for young Victorians.

"That's a legacy I'd be incredibly proud of," Jess Wilson told the ABC, in an exclusive sit-down interview days after she seized control of the fractured Liberal Party.

Walking out of the Liberal party room victorious on Tuesday, Ms Wilson identified housing affordability as one of four key policy areas she would focus on leading into next year's election: budget, crime, housing and health.

"The fact is, young Victorians have given up hope. We know that," she said.

"They just never think they're ever going to be able to save enough for a deposit, let alone get their foot on the property ladder."

Speaking to the ABC, Ms Wilson said her plans to make housing more affordable would involve tax reform.

"We're going to have a look at all the taxes that sit on property, and think, where can we pull levers with a single goal of 'how do we make homes more affordable', particularly to first home buyers and younger Victorians," she said.

"We know that over 40 per cent of the cost of a new home is taxes, fees and charges.

"That makes it simply unaffordable."

Labor will be hoping her focus on housing will become her Brad Battin moment.

Mr Battin's downfall was forged through his narrow focus on the state's crime crisis.

Labor sucked the marrow from his argument by releasing a comprehensive suite of policies and legislation to stunt the state's rising crime rate.

It was one of two significant suites of legislation Labor announced this year — the other was housing.

Now, Jess Wilson is embarking on her own head-to-head race with the ruling party — on housing.

"This government has decided that every Victorian should live in an apartment," she told the ABC.

"I don't think every Victorian does want to live in an apartment.

"They want choice when it comes to the type of housing that they want to buy and live in.

"It doesn't have to be a one-size-fits-all approach," she said, identifying townhouses and greenfield developments as part of her solution to the affordability issue.

A millennial unicorn

A lot has been made of Ms Wilson's age and gender since she toppled former police officer Brad Battin for the opposition leadership.

There have been questions, both publicly and privately, from inside and outside the party, whether the 35-year-old first-term MP is equipped to lead the party to an election.

Others, including Ms Wilson herself, are confident having a millennial behind "generational change" will prove to be an asset and bring fresh new votes to a party that desperately needs to attract women and younger supporters.

"I think that I can connect with Victorians in a different way," she told the ABC.

"Millennials will be the largest voting cohort at the next election, and I'm just like them — I'm working, I'm a mum, I'm juggling."

From a personal perspective, Ms Wilson said she had barely had time to consider the significance of her ascension.

"In the moments that I have, it's something that sits with me, and I think, wow, this is a moment for the party.

"I'm proud to be the first female leader of the Victorian Liberal Party and opposition leader here in Victoria. It's a proud moment for the party.

"I hope that there are lots of women who come behind me and I can help them up that ladder."

The path to an election victory

By this time next year, Victorians will already be casting pre-poll votes.

If Ms Wilson can hold onto the leadership longer than her predecessor, she will have to climb a mountain of her party's own making, bridging the factional divide for a shared purpose.

"Things happen in the party room, and we move on. That's the reality of politics," she said of Liberal disunity.

Asked how she would convince Victorians to trust a group of MPs who clearly do not trust each other, Ms Wilson said she understood the frustration.

"I will take my team, the Liberal Party and Victorians on that journey with me," she said.

"I will listen to them, I will understand their concerns, and we'll work through them.

"But most importantly, my team knows that we now have to focus on the next election."