Amelia Hamer holds off rivals to win Malvern preselection

Amelia Hamer, rising Liberal star and newly endorsed candidate for the blue-ribbon seat of Malvern, says her emphatic preselection victory was a vote by party members for generational change.

Hamer brushed aside the challenge from Jacqueline Blackwell – who was backed by former federal treasurer Josh Frydenberg – to win by a margin of almost 70 votes despite predictions of a close race.

More than 200 Liberal Party members attended Caulfield Racecourse on Sunday to select a new candidate following the retirement of former Liberal leader Michael O’Brien, who will step down after next year’s November state election.

The victory further cements a generational shift within the Victorian branch of the party, following the elevation of 35-year-old Jess Wilson to opposition leader on Tuesday.

Speaking after Sunday’s vote, Hamer said Malvern members were keen to embrace a new Millennial generation in the Liberal Party.

“We talked a lot about policy in the room and talked about the need to fix what, I think, is a very broken state,” Hamer said.

“People want to see business coming back to Victoria. I’ve got a background in business and finance, and I’m hoping to bring those skills to Jess’ team to get her across the line and make sure we win government.

“People see that we need energy, we need people who are ready to get out there and give it a really good crack.”

In her address to delegates, Hamer, who was backed by former premier Jeff Kennett, said she was a tested candidate who had achieved a swing towards the party in the federal election, while also highlighting her success in generating donations.

Hamer, a 32-year-old Oxford-educated grandniece of former Victorian premier Sir Rupert “Dick” Hamer, beat Blackwell, the chair of the Liberal Women’s Council of Victoria; as well as Xavier Boffa, an ex-adviser to former Victorian Liberal leader John Pesutto and the Samuel Griffith Society executive director; and barrister Lana Collaris.

Although the contest between Hamer and Blackwell was expected to be close, potentially requiring multiple knockout rounds of voting, Hamer won resoundingly in the first round. Hamer secured 118 votes, Blackwell 51, Collaris 31 and Boffa 13. There was a brief concern when the number of votes counted exceeded the number of registered delegates in the room by two, but Hamer’s win was affirmed.

Malvern is one of the Liberals’ few fairly safe electorates in Melbourne. O’Brien holds the seat with a margin of 8.1 per cent.

Following the vote, Wilson met Hamer at a Malvern cafe to celebrate the win.

Wilson – who is also a Millennial – said Hamer was part of a fresh generation of Liberals continuing to come through the ranks.

“I’ve known Amelia for years now, but I’ve also had the privilege to stand next to her during the Kooyong campaign, where I saw how hard she fought for the local residents,” she said.

Wilson said voters she had spoken to since gaining the leadership from Brad Battin on Tuesday were excited because they “desperately wanted change”.

“They tell me every single day that Victoria is headed in the wrong direction, and they want to know that there is going to be a vision to vote for in the next election,” she said.

“They’re excited that my team and I will be able to deliver that vision, and I’m going to give them something to vote for.”

Although Frydenberg backed Blackwell, Hamer’s win offers a clearer path for the former treasurer if he chooses to vie for preselection for the seat of Kooyong ahead of the next federal election.

Frydenberg said: “a big congratulations to Amelia Hamer, and I look forward to supporting her and Jess Wilson in the state election”.

Boffa said he was pleased with the outcome and the very positive feedback that he had received from delegates.

“I know Amelia will be a terrific candidate, and I remain keen to serve our party, so I’m optimistic about what the future holds,” he said.

Hamer famously fell 1500 votes short of claiming the federal seat of Kooyong back for the Liberals at May’s federal election, losing to incumbent teal MP Monique Ryan.

Hamer lives in Malvern and works at stockbrokers Ord Minnett as a senior equity research analyst. She is the first Liberal candidate to be selected ahead of the November 2026 election.

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