Bullying probe into South Australian Liberal party branch meeting sparks rebuke for bad behaviour

The bitter factional war engulfing the South Australian Liberals has escalated after a confidential investigation into bullying criticised bad behaviour by members.

The bitter factional war engulfing the South Australian Liberals has escalated after a confidential investigation into bullying criticised members’ bad behaviour.

Leaked documents lay bare details of a fiery branch meeting for the electorate of King, which took place at the Grove Tavern, Surrey Downs, in Adelaide’s northeast, earlier this month.

Party chiefs launched an inquiry into bullying after former Liberal MP, Paula Luethen complained about firebrand senator Alex Antic and Tea Tree Gully councillor Damian Wyld.

But Senator Antic, dubbed “Rambo” for his numerous factional “coups”, lodged his own formal code of conduct complaint against two “aggressive” members.

Former Liberal MP Paula Luethen at Parliament House. Picture: Matt Loxton.

Liberal Senator Alex Antic at Parliament House in Canberra. Picture: Sean Davey

Former federal Liberal speaker, Neil Andrew, investigated nearly two dozen complaints from the King annual general meeting, which was held on Sunday, July 3.

Newly minted state director Alex May wrote to all parties a fortnight ago to counsel them about showing dignity, respect, courtesy and confidentiality.

Ms May, a former senior staffer and current partner of federal Sturt MP James Stevens, is also understood to have rebuked members for their failure to uphold high standards of behaviour.

Documents show how tempers flared at the 3.30pm meeting after academic Michael Potts was stopped from being nominated as branch president due to inadequate paperwork.

Ms Luethen, who lost the marginal seat at the state election to Labor’s Rhiannon Pearce by 2.9 per cent, and other women clashed with Mr Potts’ backers – an “overbearing” Senator Antic and Mr Wyld – over party rules.

In her three-page complaint, Ms Luethen pleaded with party officials to “put a stop to this aggressive, disrespectful and disruptive behaviour”.

Ms Luethen, who became branch president with 23 of 28 votes against the Conservative faction candidate, would not comment about her complaint.

“As the president of the King branch … I will do everything in my power to make sure there is respectful meetings, good conduct and that we’re working to get the best results for current and future generations,” she said.

Tea Tree Gully councillor, Damian Wyld. Picture: Matt Loxton

Alex May is the new state director of the South Australian Liberal Party. Picture: Supplied

In a statement, Senator Antic said he was yelled at and harassed at the meeting, which showed how “swimming against the tide of the party’s drift to the left clearly comes with its own risks”.

“For many years, I have been the victim of genuine bullying and harassment at the hands of a small minority of the Liberal Party in this state,” he said.

“That conduct has included (but isn’t limited to) verbal abuse, continual ostracism and the spreading of false and malicious rumours.

“Not wanting to appear like a pencil neck, I have rarely sought to take those matters further.”

He added: “Although some of the behaviour directed at me that Sunday afternoon was atrocious it was far from an uncommon experience for me.

“That said, the benign discussion about my entirely correct interpretation of the party constitution – as it related to a refusal to sign a financial member into the meeting – was a non-event.”

He said the attempts to “make something out of nothing by backgrounding this matter to the press reflects the degree to which frustration has engulfed the party’s left-wing ruling class”.

“The generational rebuild of the party is under way,” he said.

“It is a process which is clearly ruffling feathers but one which will not be halted despite the desperate actions of a few.”

None of the other parties commented.

Labor’s Rhiannon Pearce won the marginal seat of King by 2.9 per cent at the recent state election. Picture Dean Martin