Disappointing at a state level, Dutton’s preference ’for Victoria to ­resolve matters’

Peter Dutton has effectively ruled out a federal intervention into the troubled Victorian branch of the Liberal Party as part of moves to reform and rebuild the disappointing state divisions.

Federal Liberal Leader Peter Dutton in his office at Parliament House, Canberra, this week. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Martin Ollman

Peter Dutton has effectively ruled out a federal intervention into the troubled Victorian branch of the Liberal Party as part of moves to reform and rebuild the disappointing state divisions.

But the Opposition Leader has declared the NSW Liberal organisational executive “unfit for purpose” and says he will not tolerate a situation that drags down the Liberals’ chances in that state.

He said there were clearly “significant and disappointing issues” in several states that had damaged the Liberal brand and which must be ­addressed to ensure the party wins more seats at the next ­election.

“At a state level we have significant issues in some divisions … but, I think, at a federal level we are in a strong position to start to rebuild,” he said.

There have been calls for Mr Dutton to engineer a federal takeover of the Victorian organisation where factional and ideological fighting have rendered it dysfunctional while the parliamentary party has splintered after new leader John Pesutto expelled MP Moira Deeming.

Victorian Liberal leader John Pesutto. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Luis Enrique Ascui

Moira Deeming. Picture: Arsineh Houspian

Mr Dutton said Victoria was disappointing at a state level and “we’ve been in the back room for a long period of time and the brand there is damaged”. But he said his preference was “for Victoria to ­resolve matters” and that there were signs of improvement that were not publicly apparent.

“I believe that the Victorian division can rebuild and we can provide support to them to do that. But these are discussions for ­behind closed doors,” he said.

In NSW, Mr Dutton said the state Liberal constitution allowed for a state executive of almost 30 people, which was “unfit for purpose”. “I’m not going to tolerate a situation where that continues to drag down our chances in NSW and it continues to disenfranchise our branch members,” he said.

“I want to be on the side of our branch members and they want to reform and I will work with the ­incoming president in NSW to ­deliver the reform.”

Mr Dutton said it was important to reform the NSW branch ­because there had been blockages on selecting candidates for the last election and there were “seats we can, and must, win at the next ­federal election in NSW, including in western Sydney and on the ­central coast”.

His home state of Queensland was considered to be the best performing state division, with the LNP under the guidance of state Liberal president Lawrence Springborg.

“The Queensland division of the Liberal Party – the LNP – is ­effective. It has a very significant capacity to fight and defend seats and win further seats at the next election,” he said.

Mr Dutton said the state ­divisions of Western Australia and South Australia had sorted out ­organisational issues after losses, and Tasmania was doing well at a state and federal level.

“At a state level we have ­significant issues in some divisions … but, I think, at a federal level we are in a strong position to start to rebuild,” he said. “At a federal level, which I have direct responsibility for, we are functional. We have an executive which is served as well.

“We have the ability to ­campaign effectively and the federal secretariat is well resourced (and) professionally staffed.”