Salacious gossip, a photo scandal and death threats have dogged Victorian MP Georgie Purcell – but she won’t stop fighting

Georgie Purcell’s property in Kyneton, Victoria, is home to a menagerie of animals, including rescue cats and dogs, lambs and horses. Arnold the shetland pony is a guest. Photograph: Stuart Walmsley/The Guardian

There were several points in 2024 when Victorian upper house MP Georgie Purcell thought about quitting politics.

There was the moment when the state Labor government, despite launching its own inquiry that recommended outlawing duck hunting, chose to let it continue – undermining the very goal that motivated Purcell to enter parliament.