The Victorian Liberal Party has elected Hawthorn MP John Pesutto as its new leader.
The party met for the first time today since its bruising state election defeat last month.
Berwick MP Brad Battin also stood for the top job, but was unsuccessful in the secret ballot.
David Southwick has been re-elected deputy leader.
Former opposition leader Matthew Guy stood aside as leader after a second election loss to Daniel Andrews earlier this month, after also leading the Liberals to an unsuccessful 2018 campaign.
Mr Pesutto regained the seat of Hawthorn for the Liberals by defeating Labor's John Kennedy at the election.
He suffered a surprise defeat in the 2018 election in a seat that had been held by the Liberals since 1964.
Speaking alongside the Liberal leadership team of Mr Southwick, Matt Bach and Georgie Crozier, Mr Pesutto said he was honoured to have been chosen to lead the party.
"I was very humbled by this result. I means a lot to be given this opportunity by our party colleagues to be the best we can by our party," he said.
"These next four years are going to be really challenging for the people of Victoria and we need a government that is pushed to do its level best.
Mr Pesutto said he would lead an opposition that would push the government.
"We've just had an election and although that election has sorted out the results, I want to make it clear the challenges we face as a state remain," he said.
"We will be a constructive opposition, but we will apply scrutiny where it is necessary to do so."
It's the second leadership challenge Brad Battin has lost.
He says he is a proud Liberal and will back the new leader.
"I walk out of that party room today with my integrity in place," Mr Battin said.
"I will back John Pesutto 100 per cent. The party has chosen John Pesutto to move forward and I will get behind him."
On his way in to the party room this morning, Rowville MP Kim Wells said the election result was "just embarrassing".
"I just cannot believe it. I mean we were facing someone who had been there two terms … and we weren't even able to make a dent," he said.
