Liberal MP Roma Britnell denies threatening colleague Bev McArthur

A Victorian Liberal MP says there’s “no truth nor substance” to suggestions she sent an alleged threat to upper house colleague Bev McArthur as police investigate.

Liberal frontbencher Roma Britnell. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

A messy factional brawl involving two Liberal MPs has sparked a police probe after a threatening message was sent in the mail.

The Herald Sun can reveal an email purportedly sent by Liberal frontbencher Roma Britnell to her staff member suggested she wanted to get rid of her new upper house colleague and factional rival Bev McArthur.

The message, which also referred to one of Ms McArthur’s staffers, was then printed out and posted to Ms McArthur’s Port Fairy electorate office in January.

Celebrating 60 years of the @heartfoundation with @LiberalVictoria @TheNationalsVic @georgiecrozier @DavidHodgettMP @RomaBritnell @DannyOBrienMP @MelinaBathMP @timmccurdymp Bev McArthur Neil Angus #SpringSt pic.twitter.com/J6hmF0FOJl

— David Southwick (@SouthwickMP) June 4, 2019

But Ms Britnell vehemently denied sending the email and reported the matter to local police last month.

It is understood she also raised the issue at a Liberal party room meeting earlier this week.

“I completely refute the allegation which has no truth nor substance and I look forward to the conclusion of the Victoria Police investigation,” she told the Herald Sun.

A police spokesman confirmed the letter was being probed but said: “As the investigation remains ongoing, it would be inappropriate to comment further.”

The issue exploded today after the police inquiry was revealed by the Herald Sun, causing uproar among Liberal MPs.

MP Bev McArthur. Picture: Andy Rogers

It came as an unwelcome distraction for Opposition Leader Michael O’Brien, who was forced to intervene and said the two Liberal MPs were the victims of a hoax.

But several Liberals said tensions between the pair — who both represent electorates in Victoria’s southwest — had escalated since the state election and were now at boiling point.

A senior party source said there were “a lot of people” including Ms Britnell “who don’t want (Ms McArthur) to be there” after she was installed by Liberal chiefs in the party’s safe upper house seat in Western Victoria.

Multiple sources said Ms McArthur had been “meddling” in issues in South-West Coast — Ms Britnell’s lower house electorate since 2015 — for years, with one Liberal accusing her of ignoring the key political areas of Geelong and Ballarat.

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The factional brawling ignited earlier this year when one of Ms McArthur’s allies was knocked off the local party branch committee in a coup for Ms Britnell’s supporters.

The MPs released a joint statement which said they “both look forward to the conclusion” of the police probe “into an alleged email”.

“As the matter is under active police investigation it would be inappropriate to make further comment,” the pair said.

The Department of Parliamentary Services is also believed to be investigating the matter.

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