Victorian Liberal Party president Greg Mirabella likely to face challenge for top job

Victorian Liberal Party president Greg Mirabella could soon be booted from the top job as factional rivals work to replace him with a more conservative leader.

Former defence minister Kevin Andrews is being touted as a potential challenger to Victorian Liberal Party president Greg Mirabella.

Liberal Party sources have told the Herald Sun factional rivals of Mr Mirabella are hopeful Mr Andrews will consider a run as president when the party meets in August.

If successful the party would effectively be controlled by a conservative grouping which would put it at odds with parliamentary leader John Pesutto.

And Liberal sources fear it would widen the divide between the party’s conservative and moderate factions.

However in a blow to the plans Mr Andrews said on Thursday night he had no intention of returning to politics.

“Having recently left Parliament after 31 years, I have no interest in a Liberal Party administrative role,” he said.

Victorian Liberal Party president Greg Mirabella. Picture: Arsineh Houspian.

Former party strategist, and director at polling firm RedBridge, said the party had to focus on becoming more mainstream.

“There’s no doubt some members of the current Administrative Committee need to be pensioned off as they’ve been as hopeless as their predecessors,” Mr Barry said.

“But one of the big risks for the Victorian Liberal Party is that there is a faction who have long aspired for us to effectively become Christian Democrats with conservative social policy through an interventionist state that offers reward and patronage to preferred groups and individuals.

“All this is going to do is further erode our already narrow base as we continue our gradual but determined march to minor party status in Victoria.”

The stability of Mr Pesutto’s leadership has already come under strain in recent weeks over growing tensions over his failed bid to expel conservative MP Moira Deeming from the party.

She was saved by an 11th hour compromise that saw her accept a nine-month suspension but left a question mark over Mr Pesutto’s authority.

Former defence minister Kevin Andrews could be a contender to take over as the Liberal party’s president. Picture: NCA NewsWire

Work to oust Mr Mirabella from the top job has escalated following the party’s shock loss in the Aston federal by-election earlier this month.

It was the first time in a century a federal government won a seat from opposition at a by-election.

Mr Mirabella later told members the party was being crippled by a major brand problem that had made it unelectable.

“In the last 12 months the people of Victoria have made it perfectly clear that we are not electable,” he said.

“I think the major problem remains: us. Brand Liberal.”

Mr Andrews became the first sitting Victorian Liberal MP to be removed by members in more than two decades when he was unseated in the prized eastern suburbs Liberal seat of Menzies by special forces captain turned lawyer Keith Wolahan ahead of last year’s federal election.

He had held the seat since 1991.

Mr Andrews was backed by the party’s conservative faction while Mr Wolahan was supported by a more moderate group.