Veteran Victorian Liberal Ryan Smith has quit parliament, declaring he is uncomfortable with growing negativity in politics.
The outgoing MP has served as the member for Warrandyte for 16 years and his last day will be July 7.
“I have become increasingly uncomfortable with the growing negative tone of politics, both internally and more broadly,” Mr Smith said on Wednesday.
He was minister for environment and youth affairs during the Baillieu and Napthine government, before holding multiple shadow portfolios when the Liberals returned to opposition in 2014.
The Liberal Party has been beset by internal ruptures between conservative and more moderate members, most recently over an anti-transgender rights rally that eventually led to the expulsion of first-term MP Moira Deeming.
At this month’s state conference in Bendigo, state leader John Pesutto was booed and heckled by Ms Deeming’s supporters.
The Deeming saga prompted federal Opposition Leader Peter Dutton to flag the prospect of federal intervention in the Victorian branch if it couldn’t resolve its issues.
Mr Pesutto expects the Warrandyte byelection to be held in mid-to-late August, four months after the Coalition’s historic byelection loss in the nearby federal seat of Aston.
Mr Pesutto leader plans to work closely with party administrators on a preselection pick to boost its chance of retaining the seat.
“We’re going to throw everything at it,” he said.
He wants a woman to be considered for preselection, with 21 of the 30 Victorian Liberals’ MPs being men.
Mr Smith put his hand up as a leadership contender after the Coalition’s election thumping last year, before swinging his support behind Berwick MP Brad Battin, who lost to Mr Pesutto by a single vote.
He was then not included in Mr Pesutto’s shadow cabinet.
In November, the Warrandyte MP received roughly 47 per cent of the primary vote to comfortably fend off Labor’s candidate Naomi Oakley.
Premier Daniel Andrews said it was a matter for the Victorian Labor Party whether it ran the resulting Warrandyte byelection but wished Mr Smith well.
“To be your local community’s voice is an enormous privilege,” he said on Wednesday.
“When others lost their seats out east, he hung on to his and that means something. It means he works hard.”
On Tuesday, Mr Pesutto distanced himself from upper house MP Bev McArthur after she issued a statement denouncing Geelong council’s decision to cancel Australia Day citizenship ceremonies.
In the release, Ms McArthur questioned if a councillor who supported the decision also reflected on the “wonderful things that have been enabled via colonisation by a democratic country”.
Mr Pesutto agreed Ms McArthur’s remarks were hurtful to Indigenous Australians as national debate ramped up ahead of the Voice to Parliament referendum.
He confirmed he plans to speak with Ms McArthur about the remarks, but declined to say if she would be warned or face any punishment.
“It’s incumbent on every Victorian to engage in debates about Indigenous Australians and the great contribution our First Nations people have made to our country in a very respectful way,” he said on Tuesday.
“There are ways to conduct this debate without causing hurt or offence.”
The Victorian Liberals have opted against adopting a formal position on the Indigenous Voice after giving MPs a non-binding vote.
It means they can actively campaign for either the ‘yes’ or ‘no’ campaigns, in contrast to the federal Liberal parliamentary party.
The Victorian Nationals fell into line with their federal counterparts and voted to formally oppose the voice at a party conference in Ballarat on Saturday.
– AAP
