Liberal MP Bernie Finn resigns as the opposition whip

Daniel Andrews has slammed Bernie Finn, saying his “extreme” views pose a threat to Victorian women, who are “sick” of blokes telling them what to do with their bodies.

Bernie Finn has resigned as opposition whip. Picture: Michael Klein

Daniel Andrews says a lot of Victorian women will be “sick and tired of listening to blokes tell them what they should be doing with their bodies”.

The Premier’s comments come in relation to outspoken Liberal MP Bernie Finn, who this week resigned as the opposition whip in the upper house over his “abhorrent” views on abortion.

Mr Andrews, who refused to respond to Mr Finn by name, said the latest comments were “a new low”.

“I’m not going to waste my time, or yours, talking about that person. My views on him are well known and well understood,” he said outside parliament.

“Termination of a pregnancy is a matter between a woman and her doctor.

“While I am willing to accept that not everybody agrees with that view, and this should be a respectable debate, I think we have reached a new low with some of the comments that have been made recently.”

Daniel Andrews has criticised Bernie Finn over his controversial abortion comments. Picture: Luis Enrique Ascui

Mr Andrews said people who harboured “extreme” views like Mr Finn posed a threat to Victorian women, pointing to the current situation in the US.

“The notion that these things are beyond doubt and can never ever be changed, well, there are some views around the place that I’d call extreme,” he said.

“I think women and fair-minded people right across the community hear these comments and they get a little bit worried that if it was up to some of these blokes, they’d be changing the way womens live their lives, and not for the better.

“None of these rights, none of these freedoms, none of these values should be taken for granted because some people do not support them, and would aggressively seek to change them — not in a moderate way, but in a radical way.”

Mr Andrews said his stance on abortions was that they were a matter for a woman and her doctor.

“I think a lot of Victorian women will be sick and tired of listening to blokes tell them what they should be doing with their bodies,” he added.

Finn says Liberal Party ‘disloyal’

Mr Finn said the Liberal party had displayed a “degree of disloyalty” to him, as he stood by his “abhorrent” abortion views.

It comes after the outspoken MP resigned from his position as opposition whip over his controversial views.

Mr Finn, who was a notable absence from the Liberal party meeting on Tuesday morning, said he hadn’t spoken to Opposition Leader Matthew Guy in “some months”.

“I let him make that choice. That’s up to him,” Mr Finn said, when questioned if it was productive for him to not be speaking with his boss.

Despite that, Mr Finn said he didn’t feel the Liberal Party had abandoned him, despite many MPs slamming his comments in private.

“I wouldn’t say abandoned. I think there’s a degree of disloyalty involved,” he added, as he walked into parliament.

Mr Finn said he stood by his comments, including that rape victims shouldn’t be allowed to terminate their pregnancies.

“I think everybody should be given a chance. I don’t think it’s a question of deciding who should live and who should die. Everyone should be given that chance,” he said.

“They have been my views for 45 years. I’ve been in parliament for 23 years, so if they haven’t hurt us now, I doubt they will hurt us in the lead-up to November.”

Asked if he would run as an independent on the crossbench, Mr Finn laughed, stating: “Oh god, that’s a long way down the track, mate”.

Reason Party leader Fiona Patten says she can’t see how any party would choose Finn to represent the community. Picture: David Crosling

It comes as crossbench MPs said they “certainly wouldn’t want him” as a member of their respective parties.

Reason Party leader Fiona Patten said “I can’t see how anyone or any party would pre-select him and would choose him to represent the community”.

“If I was trying to be a modern political party in Australia, then his comments are an absolute anathema to that,” Ms Patten said.

“I think women are getting very tired of this rhetoric coming out of the wannabe Republicans like Bernie Finn.

“(He) constantly said that we have to protect ourselves, that we have to be careful, that we shouldn’t have the right to health services such as abortion. No, I think we’re all getting pretty damn sick of it.”

Meanwhile, Greens leader Samantha Ratnam said she found “many of Bernie’s views really, really abhorrent”.

“What’s really galling is that this isn’t the first time,” she said.

“I’ve sat in the chamber for a number of years with Mr Finn and everytime I mention climate change, he will howl me down.

“He has misogynistic views. He has been courting the conspiracy theorists throughout the Covid-19 pandmeic and we know these views can be really dangerous and really influence people’s views, thoughts and actions.”

Ms Ratnam said the latest controversy proved a “really testing time” for the Liberal party.

“The question they must answer themselves: are they going to be a party of Trumpian conservatives, or are they going to do the hard work to reflect modern Victoria?” she said.

Rich-Phillips to be new opposition whip

Liberal MP Gordon Rich-Phillips has been elected to the role of opposition whip in the upper house.

The appointment comes following Mr Finn’s resignation from the position.

Leader of the opposition in the upper house David Davis refused to say whether Mr Finn had the support of the partyroom.

When asked by reporters, Mr Davis put his hand up before walking from the camera.

Opposition Leader Matthew Guy refused to say whether further action would be taken against Mr Finn, instead stating his focus was on “holding the government to account”.

Asked if he could do that with Mr Finn in the background posing as a distraction, Mr Guy said: “Absolutely. That’s what we’ve been doing for the last week.”

“The partyroom is pretty straight forward united. We’re getting on with what needs to be done.”

Gordon Rich-Phillips has been elected as opposition whip. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

Mr Finn sparked outrage last week with a series of anti-abortion comments in which he broke with party ranks to advocate for a winding back of abortion laws.

The comments enraged many of his party room colleagues including Matthew Guy who said he was “absolutely sick” of Mr Finn.

“Bernie needs to work out if he wants to be on the team as part of a parliamentary Liberal Party,” Mr Guy said.

James Newbury also publicly lashed his colleague.

A party insider said: “MPs have clearly had enough of Bernie. He’s about to find out the tribe has spoken.”

Liberal Party process allows for MPs to be booted from the party room.

However several MPs said it was more likely Mr Finn would fail to secure preselection for his Western Metropolitan seat when they are opened later this month.

“The rank and file have had a gutful. They’re not going to give him another shot,” one senior Liberal said.

Opposition Leader Matthew Guy with Liberal MP Bernie Finn. Picture: Kylie Else

However other sources said Mr Finn remained popular among a core group of loyal supporters, and could secure enough support to contest the November election.

Some MPs have described Finn as a “protected species”.

If he were to be preselected again, he would almost certainly face moves to be kicked out of the party.

Mr Finn, a former Liberal Party campaign director who first entered parliament in 1992, has become increasingly brazen with his social media activity.

Last year he dubbed Victoria Police officers “modern incarnation of the Despot’s militia” and has been accused of posting pro-Trump conspiracy theories.

He also sparked outrage after posting a meme about a Chinese rocket falling on the national broadcaster or his political rivals, and mocking people with disabilities.

Mr Finn defended his anti-abortion stance, saying he had been a pro-life activist for 45 years.

“My views on the subject are no State secret. Victoria’s abortion law allows babies to be killed up until birth,” he said.

“Even some pro-abortionists think it goes way too far.

“I will continue to do everything in my power to overturn what is an entirely evil law.

“My views on the rights of children before birth have changed over the years: they’ve strengthened.”