Key John Pesutto ally Matt Bach suddenly quits Victorian politics

Matt Bach’s resignation to pursue a teaching opportunity in the UK comes after he was served with his second defamation concerns notice in as many months on Monday.

Victorian Liberal upper house deputy leader Matt Bach is resigning. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Luis Enrique Ascui

A key member of John Pesutto’s Victorian Liberal leadership team has resigned suddenly after less than three years in state ­parliament.

Matt Bach, the opposition education and child protection spokesman, and deputy leader in the upper house, announced late on Thursday that he had accepted a senior teaching role in Britain. He said he was resigning from the frontbench with the intention of leaving parliament at some point after the end of the year.

The decision follows a difficult few months for Dr Bach – who had been regarded by some as a potential future leader of the party – after he was forced to reach a financial settlement and publicly apologise to Brisbane lawyer, think-tank director and senior LNP member Dan Ryan over an allegedly defamatory ­article in The Age newspaper.

On Monday Dr Bach found himself facing a second defamation suit – alongside Mr ­Pesutto, deputy leader David Southwick and upper house ­leader Georgie Crozier – after UK women’s rights activist Kellie-Jay Keen issued a concerns notice over claims made about her in a dossier distributed by Mr ­Pesutto’s office in March to justify the expulsion of MP Moira Deeming.

In a statement issued shortly before 8pm on Thursday, after state parliament rose for the September break, Dr Bach said he had that afternoon notified Mr Pesutto of his intention to resign “to accept a senior teaching position in the UK”.

“I have made this decision purely in the interests of my young family and to enable my wife Amy to also pursue career opportunities in the UK,” Dr Bach said.

“It is my intention to serve in the parliament until at least the end of the year. However, I will step down as shadow minister for education and child protection, and as deputy leader of the ­Liberal Party in the Legislative Council.

The Victorian Liberal leadership team of David Southwick, left, John Pesutto, Georgie Crozier and Mr Bach. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Luis Ascui

“It has been a great privilege to serve the people of the North-Eastern Metropolitan Region in the Legislative Council since 2020 and to serve in the shadow cabinet in a number of portfolios.

“It has also been a tremendous honour to serve the Liberal Party and I want to thank all of my colleagues in the parliamentary party and our loyal and dedicated party members.”

Dr Bach, 40, is a former deputy principal of Ivanhoe Girls Grammar, has a PhD in history from the University of Melbourne, and has sought to champion foster care reform as someone who was born into the foster care system and adopted as a baby.

The MP expressed his “deep gratitude” to the leadership team, “headed by my friend John ­Pesutto – who is doing a superb job of reforming the party to put us in a strong position to win government in 2026”.

“I will ultimately leave the parliament with the Liberal Party in great shape after a resounding win in the Warrandyte by-election. I am confident the Liberals and Nationals are on track to win the 2026 election.”

First-term upper house MP and former Institute of Public ­Affairs communications director Evan Mulholland will take over as deputy leader in the Legislative Council, having until now served as shadow cabinet secretary and upper house opposition whip.