VICTORIA'S new, unelected premier Denis Napthine will be furiously trying to lure MP Geoff Shaw back into the Liberal fold after he quit and threw the coalition's ability to govern into doubt.
Dr Napthine, who turned 61 on Wednesday, was gifted the premiership after Ted Baillieu went down in history as the state's half-and-a-bit term premier.
A tearful Mr Baillieu resigned less than an hour after Mr Shaw issued a statement saying the reason he quit was he had lost confidence in the Liberals' leadership.
The numbers on the floor of the parliament are now 44 to the coalition, and 42 to Labor, which will likely increase to 43 after the April 27 by-election for Lyndhurst, a safe Labor seat.
If Mr Shaw votes with the opposition that leaves the parliament deadlocked at 44-all.
Dr Napthine said he would have discussions with Mr Shaw.
The new Liberal leader refused to explain why his friend Mr Baillieu decided to step down.
"The people of Victoria will understand what has happened," Dr Napthine told reporters.
"I will lead the party to the next election."
Dr Napthine said he looked forward to progressing the coalition's law and order agenda as well as positively negotiating with the teachers' union over pay and working conditions.
He said Nationals leader Peter Ryan would remain deputy premier.
Opposition Leader Daniel Andrews said Victorians deserve a leader they elected, not a birthday present to a Liberal stalwart after the undoing of the Baillieu premiership.
"This is a birthday gift to the birthday boy. It is not an honour. It is not an entitlement won through an election," he said.
"It is always preferable for the community to choose the leader of this state."
Mr Andrews said he had no doubt Dr Napthine would try to convince Mr Shaw to return to the coalition fold and shore-up the government.
"One might suggest that the Liberal Party have effectively franchised out to Geoff Shaw the choice about who leads the government," Mr Andrews said.
"That's very strange and very odd to think that a colourful character like Mr Shaw might well have been the person who chose the premier of this state rather than the people of this state."
The government has had a horror week with further political fallout from the Office of Police Integrity's investigation into the circumstances behind former police chief commissioner Simon Overland's resignation.
Mr Andrews said Mr Ryan cannot be believed when he says he was unaware of a plot being hatched in his own office to tear down Mr Overland.
Mr Ryan told parliament this week he has told the absolute truth about his knowledge of the Overland affair.
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