The Victorian deputy Liberal leader, Sam Groth, has announced he will resign from parliament at the November state election, citing infighting within his party and after a defamation battle with News Corp.
The problems facing the party’s new leader, Jess Wilson, then deepened when another MP, Wendy Lovell, announced that she would be stepping down as well.
Groth, a former professional tennis player, issued a statement on Monday morning announcing his decision not to recontest the election, after a period of personal reflection and conversations with his wife, Brittany, over the summer break.
“The public pressure placed on my family in recent months has been significant and realising that some of it came from within my own party has been difficult to ignore,” Groth said. “Coming to that realisation has forced some very personal reflection.”
“I entered public life to serve my community, to represent the Mornington Peninsula, and to stand up for what I believe is in the best interests of Victorians. I have always tried to approach this job with honesty, hard work and a clear focus on the people who put their trust in me.
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“But when you find yourself having to fight against your own team, it becomes impossible to put those interests first. That is not the standard I came into public life to accept, and it is not the kind of politics Victorians deserve.”
Wilson said she had met with Groth for coffee on Monday morning and learnt of his decision, which she described as “disappointing”.
“Politics is a tough game. It’s a tough game for the individuals involved but it can also be very tough on the families,” Wilson said. “This is something I know as someone with a young family, the impact it can have on your home life.”
She refused to comment on Groth’s claim of infighting in the party, saying they were “historical matters” that “predate my leadership”.
“Those matters are for Sam to speak to further, but at this stage, he’s asked for time, he’s asked for space with his family and I’m going to respect that,” Wilson said.
She said she was “focused on Victorian people every single day”.
Lovell had planned to stand down but had reportedly been asked by Wilson to delay her announcement. However, she went ahead with her statement on Monday.
“The Liberal Party’s values embody the aspirations of all Victorians, and I am very thankful to have been given the opportunity to represent those values as a country Liberal MP,” Lovell said, an upper house MP for the Northern Victoria region since 2002.
Late last year the Herald Sun apologised to the Groths for a series of articles published in July and August that the couple’s lawyers said wrongly suggested their relationship had begun when Brittany was underage.
The apology was understood to be part of a settlement that also included a retraction of the offending articles and a six-figure settlement sum.
Groth was suing publisher the Herald and Weekly Times, along with the publication’s editor and a reporter, for defamation, while his wife had launched the first test of a new statutory tort for serious invasions of privacy.
In his statement on Monday, Groth said it had been an “extremely challenging period for my family”.
“We took on this role for the right reasons, to contribute to our community and try to make a positive difference,” he said. “That purpose has never changed, but the environment around it has.
“I will not be making any further comment. Over summer, I will take time with my family to consider what comes next and the opportunities ahead.”
Groth holds the record for the world’s fastest tennis serve. He won the ultra-marginal seat of Nepean from Labor at the 2022 election with a 7.15% swing to the Liberals, securing a commanding 48.1% of first-preference votes.
He is seen as a major driver of party donations and had spoken about his aspirations to one day become premier.
Groth was elevated to deputy Liberal leader during Brad Battin’s successful spill against John Pesutto in December 2024. While he retained the position in a subsequent spill that saw Wilson take over the leadership of the party in November, MPs expect he will step down when parliament resumes in February.
The deputy premier, Ben Carroll, said Groth’s statement was proof the Liberal party was “more divided than they’ve ever been”.
“Sam Groth came in for the right reasons [but] he found in the Victorian Liberal party, it’s about fighting amongst yourselves and fighting to get ahead,” he said.
“I wish him well in his future, and I thank him for laying bare in black and white the true state of the Victorian Liberal party ahead of November’s state election.”
