The Victorian parliamentary party began a powerful narrative on managing and planning for the surging population growth we’ve had in Victoria. This and the recent federal government Planning for Australia’s future population report is a solid platform to build on.

It must be developed further as a political narrative and backed by policies to better connect Melbourne communities, interconnect our regional centres and connect Victoria to the world.

The party needs iconic infrastructure projects it can champion from opposition and deliver in government. Bullet trains from Melbourne to the regions and an airport rail link are good starts. Advocacy on these projects must continue until they are built at both a state and federal level.

With a growing population and drought a feature of Australian life, the Liberal Party must also articulate views on how to sustainably manage our water resources. It’s also time for the party to embrace the future on energy, not fight it.

And while it might seem obvious, voters and the community as the beneficiaries of this progress must be the central themes of the narrative.

Second, as Victoria changes so too must the Liberal Party. This will require a broad commitment to the hard work of organisational modernisation and reform.

When Sir Robert Menzies created the party, there were branches in every suburb and town. Today the party mobilises around large electorate conferences as a result of changes made over a decade ago. This model needs a grease and oil change as a minimum, and most likely a major overhaul.

The return to some form of distributed branch structure that grows to match our population growth must be an option that is considered.

Reform should also include the option for the party to formally endorse or at least support local government candidates for the first time in 2020. With more than 600 local councillorships across the state, this is a pathway to further embed the party in all corners of Victoria, especially those in the country and those that are growing the fastest such as the communities of Mickleham, Cranbourne, Tarneit and Grovedale.

Ignoring these growth communities is folly since the suburban expansion occurring in these areas is already creating new Labor seats in Federal Parliament, such as the new outer metropolitan seat of Fraser in the west of Melbourne.

The consequence of a future Coalition Senate vote is also a reason to engage, as well as a looming state redistribution due by 2022. The changing Victorian landscape needs to be considered urgently and used to frame Liberal positions at state and federal levels.

The NSW Liberals have been able to win and to hold seats where there has been very large population growth, such as in Camden and Riverstone, but this has been challenging for the Victorian party. It could be time for a Liberal Party spokesperson to represent these communities and it is definitely time for the party to be more visible and connected to these new communities.

Finally, while population growth requires policy and political responses, very little attention has been given to the impact on electoral dynamics. The population in Victoria has grown by over 13 per cent since 2010. This means that about one in seven voters is likely a new voter.

This is a large group with limited brand loyalty to the major parties and a cohort that can in part account for the larger swings that are being seen lately. The drift away to minor parties must also be addressed with a broader policy platform to serve the needs of a growing voter base.

With Melbourne and Victoria set to become the largest city and state in Australia, it’s time for the Victorian Liberal Party to seize the opportunity to also reclaim the title as the strongest political force in the country. This requires a bold agenda for Victoria with uniquely Liberal policies and projects backed by a modern and vibrant Liberal Party.

Greg Hannan is a former Victorian Liberal vice-president.