Victorian Liberal MPs who will be away during the upcoming leadership spill could be able to vote remotely, due to an intervention by John Pesutto designed to shore up support.
The embattled opposition leader on Tuesday wrote to his colleagues to tell them he had received requests from MPs Nick McGowan and Cindy McLeish to participate in Friday’s special party room meeting, despite being overseas.
The meeting was called by five MPs – leadership aspirant Brad Battin, Sam Groth, James Newbury, Richard Riordan and Bridget Vallence. It is ostensibly being held to vote on a motion to readmit exiled MP Moira Deeming into the party room, but Guardian Australia understands the MPs will also move a spill against Pesutto.
In his email, Pesutto said “given the time of year”, he had called a party room meeting for 15 January to allow “all members to participate in person” in a vote to readmit Deeming, who successfully sued him for defamation in federal court, after an extraordinary backflip.
But with an earlier meeting now going ahead, he said he sought advice from the shadow attorney general, Michael O’Brien, who told him he could “exercise the authority to enable remote participation”.
Pesutto said the move would “enfranchise all members” of the party room.
But it will also secure him at least one vote, as McLeish is part of Pesutto’s moderate grouping. McGowan’s position on a spill is unclear and he could not be reached for comment.
It is understood Croydon MP David Hodgett and upper house MP Richard Welch, who were also meant to be away during the vote, are considering changing their plans to attend in person.
Despite the intervention, Battin is confident he has the support of a majority of MPs.
Newbury replied to Pesutto’s email arguing the constitution only allowed MPs to participate remotely in case of health and other emergencies or natural disasters, which make it “impossible to travel”.
“The constitution does not provide the leader with the power to offer a remote meeting where a member is on holidays and given five full days’ notice of the meeting,” he wrote.
But remote voting would also help the moderates install their choice for deputy leader, the Kew MP Jess Wilson. They say McLeish and McGowan would support her.
The moderates had been imploring Battin – a conservative – to give Wilson the position, in a show of unity between the party’s bitterly divided groups.
But these hopes were dashed on Monday as Groth, the former professional tennis player turned Nepean MP, firmed up as Battin’s choice for deputy and the moderates accused him of walking away from a “unity deal”.
A moderate MP said Battin and his supporters were attempting to “steal the leadership” while members were away and Victorians were tuning out over the Christmas break.
Another senior Liberal MP supporting Wilson said Friday’s vote was an attempt to “deliberately disenfranchise[s] key Jess backers who are currently away”, but that remote voting would change the game.
“Here’s yet another opportunity to do the best thing and move on from this shit show in a unified and dignified way,” they said.
“It’s now in Brad’s court.”
