Tennis ace meets with John Howard and Tony Abbott, gets frontbencher’s support
A senior Victorian Liberal MP has backed the right of tennis star turned politician Sam Groth to seek the counsel of former prime ministers amid leadership uncertainty in Spring Street.
Tennis gun turned Victorian politician Sam Groth has been backed by a key frontbencher over his decision to seek the counsel of former Liberal prime ministers John Howard and Tony Abbott.
Mr Groth’s meetings with the pair on Friday have fuelled speculation over state leader John Pesutto’s leadership as he faces a $2m defamation battle with dumped Liberal MP Moira Deeming.
Victorian financial affairs spokesman Brad Rowswell on Sunday described it as smart to consult with seasoned leaders and he had previously sought advice from senior state and federal Liberal figures.
Mr Rowswell, along with Mr Groth and fellow frontbencher Brad Battin, are seen as potential successors to lead the Victorian Liberal Party should Mr Pesutto be pushed out if Ms Deeming wins her court case.
The Weekend Australian revealed that Mrs Deeming was seeking $2m in compensation and costs after she was booted out of the parliamentary party last year for being involved in a women’s rights rally that was gatecrashed by neo-Nazis.
Mr Pesutto will lose the leadership if he loses the defamation case; he also must manage the politics of a Federal Court defamation trial next month that is likely to involve Liberal versus Liberal.
Ms Deeming’s support in the Liberal Pparty room is qualified, with many MPs angry court battle has helped the Andrews-Allan governments.
Mr Rowswell, who is seen by some as a potential future leader, said Mr Groth’s seeking of wise counsel was fine.
“I’ve met with Mr Howard previously, I’ve met with Mr Abbott previously, I’ve met with Mr (Peter) Costello previously, I’ve met with Mr (Jeff) Kennett previously,” he said.
“I think it’s just a matter of course that if you serve as a member of parliament that you sit at the feet of people who have gone there before you and seek advice … it’s the smart thing to do.”
On whether he saw himself leading the Victorian Liberal Party, Mr Rowswell preferred to focus on his current role.
“For someone to say that the state’s economy doesn’t matter and the role of shadow treasurer doesn’t matter is absolute utter rubbish,” the member for Sandringham said.
“I’m grateful and privileged to have the opportunity … the Victorian people expect me as their alternative treasurer to do everything I can to hold the Labor government accountable.”
He said it was not his call to let Ms Deeming back into the parliamentary Liberal Party.
“No one’s talking to me about that,” he said.
There is dismay in the parliamentary Liberal Party about the impact of the Deeming court case but MPs are split over how to respond as Victoria crumbles under record debt, multibillion-dollar major project blowouts and soaring taxes.
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