Victorian Coalition in slanging match

The leaking of expletive-laden recordings of a Victorian Coalition partyroom meeting has exposed deep divisions with Matthew Guy’s Liberal team.

Victorian Opposition Leader Matthew Guy. Picture: David Geraghty

The leaking of expletive-laden recordings of a Victorian Coalition partyroom meeting has exposed deep divisions with Matthew Guy’s Liberal team, six weeks after he regained the leadership from Michael O’Brien.

The recording, leaked to Nine Newspapers, featured Nationals leader Peter Walsh telling the Liberals’ equality spokesman, James Newbury, he could “go and get f..ked”, and legal affairs spokesman Tim Smith and backbencher Bernie Finn calling each other a “fool” and an “idiot” amid a stoush over the Coalition’s policy on gay conversion therapy.

Under Mr O’Brien’s leadership earlier this year, the Coalition voted in favour of an Andrews government Bill banning gay conversion therapy, but promised to make amendments to it if it won office next year.

Since regaining the leadership, Mr Guy and Mr Newbury decided the Coalition will not seek to amend the Bill, which has not gone down well with Mr Finn and several of the 10 of 31 Liberal MPs who voted against the leadership spill, nor with Mr Walsh. “From a Nationals point of view, we will not be supporting James (Newbury) on this position and he can go and get f..ked, simple as that,” he told Tuesday’s partyroom meeting, which took place via Zoom.

Mr Finn asked what MPs should tell concerned community groups, prompting Mr Smith to challenge him. “Read the f..king Bill, Bernie,” he shouted.

“We gave a commitment. You might not care about commitments, but a lot of us do,” Mr Finn hit back.

“I can read, you fool. Read the f..king thing,” Mr Smith said.

“You are a f..king idiot,” Mr Finn replied.