State Opposition Leader Matthew Guy moves against Liberal powerbroker Michael Kroger

STATE Opposition Leader Matthew Guy will today move against veteran Liberal powerbroker Michael Kroger, telling him he won’t back him for a third term as party boss.

State Opposition Leader Matthew Guy. Picture: Eugene Hyland

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STATE Opposition Leader Matthew Guy will today move against veteran Liberal powerbroker Michael Kroger, telling him he won’t back him for a third term as party boss.

In a move that could tip the balance against Mr Kroger in his bid for re-election, Mr Guy is expected to tell Mr Kroger he will back challenger ­former Howard government minister Peter Reith.

Sources close to Mr Guy yesterday confirmed he would meet Mr Kroger, a two-time state party president, over the next 24 hours to tell him that he was supporting Mr Reith.

Mr Reith, who was industrial relations and defence minister in the Howard government, was recently elected to the party’s state council, clearing the way for a challenge.

President of Victorian Liberal Party Michael Kroger. Picture: Yuri Kouzmin

Mr Kroger, who has been president for the past two years, also served as state president in 1987-1992, and is considered one of the most influential powerbrokers in the party’s recent history.

He returned to the role shortly after the Victorian division’s former director Damien Mantach stole $1.55 million from the party.

Last month, a war broke out between Mr Kroger and the directors of the Cormack Foundation about its withholding of about $500,000 over internal party governance concerns.

He is resisting foundation calls for his role as president and finance committee chairman to be split.

Former Howard government minister Peter Reith.

Mr Reith’s challenge will pit senior Victorian Liberals against each other: Mr Guy joins former premier Jeff Kennett and federal frontbenchers Kelly O’Dwyer, Scott Ryan and Mitch Fifield for Mr Reith; Mr Kroger’s camp is believed to include Greg Hunt, Josh Frydenberg, Michael Sukkar, and Alan Tudge.

Mr Reith declined to say why he was challenging.

“Let me give you a bit of information about how the Liberal Party works: they don’t like to take the dirty linen and put it out for discussion,” Mr Reith told Andrew Bolt on Sky News on Thursday night.

“When you have a contest, people assume it is going to be a difficult one and the party does not encourage people to go talking about the issue. So I’m not talking about the issue,” he said.

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