Divisions within the Victorian Liberal Party over the expulsion of controversial MP Moira Deeming have spilled into the party's state conference, where the MP's supporters booed and heckled Opposition Leader John Pesutto.
The Liberal state council was meeting in Bendigo for the first time since Ms Deeming was ousted from the parliamentary party room.
When Mr Pesutto took the podium to address the crowd, dozens of people stood up in the audience chanting "shame", as others walked out.
One member held up a sign saying "Pesutto deemed a bully".
"Friends, I am of this party," Mr Pesutto told the crowd during his speech.
"Rubbish!" someone shouted back.
Among those interrupting Mr Pesutto's speech was former Liberal candidate Peter Killin, who quit the federal election race in 2019 after it was revealed he had encouraged conservative Christians to "infiltrate" the party and prevent gay people from being elected to office and party positions.
While the majority of those in the room rose to their feet to offer the embattled leader a standing ovation, others audibly scoffed as he urged the party to be inclusive and welcoming.
Speaking afterwards, Mr Pesutto said he was "very moved by the two standing ovations that occurred during my speech".
"If there were people that had different views, that's a matter for them," he said.
The opposition had hoped to focus attention on Victoria's upcoming budget, which is expected to be filled with serious spending cuts in a bid to pay down state debt.
Mr Pesutto announced a Coalition government would hold a comprehensive review into Victoria's tax system, including a review into payroll tax and stamp duty.
Victorian Liberal Party president Greg Mirabella told those gathered the party "had to change" and unite if it wanted to win office again, taking aim at those who took internal party grievances to the media.
He said he recently looked at newspaper coverage dedicated to the Victorian Liberal Party's internal disputes and found a selection which took up column space worth $58,000.
"That's $58,000 the Labor Party does not have to spend on trashing our brand, we do it for ourselves," he said.
"This is a message that all members and all members of parliament must hear and must begin to act on."
Backers of Deeming call on Pesutto to resign
A number of the Liberal Party members who walked out of Mr Pesutto's address said they were from the western metropolitan region Ms Deeming represented and were "disgusted" by the way she had been treated by the party.
"She knows the west, she looks after us and I think she's been treated appallingly," party member Jennifer McPherson said.
Fellow member Marie Cagalj said she felt Mr Pesutto's handling of the situation was "absolutely disgraceful".
"At the very least, be given the benefit of the doubt, at the very least investigate and understand what had occurred," she said.
Several members said they would like to see Mr Pesutto step down and be replaced by Berwick MP Brad Battin.
Outside, Ms Deeming's supporters handed out printouts of an interview the upper house MP gave to the Herald Sun last weekend.
In a statement posted to Twitter on Saturday night, Ms Deeming said the issue was beyond her.
"Reporting on events at the Victorian Liberal State Council today predictably revolved around the rise and fall of individual careers," she said.
"I think it's important to remember that this issue isn't just about me. It's about every woman and every girl in Victoria.
"I will continue to fight for these values, and I remain a proud Liberal."
Bitter fallout led to MP's expulsion from parliamentary party
Ms Deeming's expulsion came after a weeks-long public stoush with Mr Pesutto following her attendance at an anti-trans-rights rally gatecrashed by neo-Nazis.
After Ms Deeming's expulsion a little over a week ago, the Liberal leader said he wanted to draw a line in the sand under the matter, and focus the party's attention on issues relevant to voters.
But Ms Deeming, who has flagged a defamation lawsuit against Mr Pesutto, last weekend said she felt "completely betrayed" by the expulsion and had no plans to hand in her Liberal Party membership.
"I will never resign. I will never quit. I will not do their dirty work for them, I have much too much dignity for that," she said.
In a defamation concerns notice sent to Mr Pesutto on the eve of her expulsion, Ms Deeming asked the Liberal leader to publish an apology to her for making public statements suggesting she was associated with neo-Nazis.
Mr Pesutto has rejected those calls, saying he had never suggested that and therefore no apology was necessary.
