Victorian Opposition Leader John Pesutto has vowed to keep fighting amid speculation his leadership is under threat after the sudden exit of his two most senior staffers.
Following the resignation of his chief of staff Rodrigo Pintos-Lopez and media boss Nick Johnston on Sunday, Mr Pesutto was grilled on whether the pair were pushed out the door.
He insisted neither was sacked, suggesting they left on their own volition to return to the private sector.
"They go with my best wishes and it's vice versa," Mr Pesutto told reporters on Monday.
Mr Pesutto, who has been facing angst from the party's conservative faction over his refusal to settle a defamation battle with expelled Liberal MP Moira Deeming, denied it was a case of "rats leaving a sinking ship".
Liberal MPs entering a shadow cabinet meeting on Monday were quizzed by journalists on the possibility of a leadership challenge amid reports of some actively doing the numbers.
Mr Pesutto suggested he still enjoyed the support of the Liberal party room despite only narrowly beating Berwick MP Brad Battin 17-16 in a leadership contest after the 2022 state election.
"I'm confident that I'll lead the party to the next election," he said, insisting the party was united.
"You know that I'm a fighter. I'm not going to be pushed around like this."
In a statement on Sunday, the Victorian Liberal leader claimed Mr Pintos-Lopez and Mr Johnston only agreed to take on the high-paying positions for 12 months to help set up his office.
But when announcing Mr Pintos-Lopez's appointment in an email in February 2023, Mr Pesutto told colleagues he would "play an important role in supporting our team over the years ahead".
Former shadow treasurer Louis Staley will replace Mr Pintos-Lopez as chief of staff in Mr Pesutto's office and long-time staffer Alex Woff has been promoted to director of communications.
