Liberal defector Julia Banks parties as seat volunteers feel betrayed

Members of Julia Banks’s branch of the Liberal Party feel deeply betrayed by her move to the crossbench.

The annual Crossbench Christmas Party in Parliament House in Canberra.

The Christmas cheer flowed freely in Canberra last night at the crossbenchers’ end-of-year bash as they welcomed their shiny new recruit, Julia Banks, to the fold.

But back in her seat of Chisholm, the volunteers who helped her get into parliament weren’t feeling the festive fizz.

Ms Banks, who got a hug from Kerryn Phelps, the new independent for Wentworth, was the MP everyone wanted to see at the party everyone wanted to be at.

A smiling Bill Shorten and former foreign minister Julie Bishop shared a joke with Dr Phelps in the corridor outside the cross­benchers’ offices in the House of Representatives.

Independent Cathy McGowan’s office offered local muscat, ­olives and cheeses.

Julie Bishop, Bill Shorten, and Dr Kerryn Phelps at the Crossbench party.

Later in the evening, pizza made the rounds of the packed party.

Back in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs, however, Rosemary and Kevin Pendlebury, devoted ­members of Ms Banks’s branch of the Liberal Party, said they felt deeply betrayed by their MP’s ­decision to become an independent, after they had contributed significant time, effort and money towards getting her elected.

The retired small business owners joined the Chisholm branch of the Liberal Party five years ago, and spent long days campaigning and fundraising for their candidate, Ms Banks, in the 2016 election.

Chisholm Liberal party members Rosemary and Kevin Pendlebury. Picture: Stuart McEvoy

“We all feel betrayed,” said Mrs Pendlebury, 72.

“We chose her because everyone felt that she best represented the values we all had — Liberal values, like taking responsibility for yourself, working hard.

“We’re conservative. We’re not hard-right, but we’re certainly not left-of-centre.

“We just feel Julia has almost used us to get where she wanted to go.

“Volunteers give their time, but it also costs them money — we buy raffle tickets, we go to functions, we use our petrol.”

Mrs Pendlebury said she was particularly disappointed when Ms Banks sent local Liberal members an email about her decision not to recontest the 2019 election after the ousting of Malcolm Turnbull in August.

In an email of her own to Ms Banks, which had received no ­response, Mrs Pendlebury said she was disappointed but not surprised by Ms Banks’s decision not to ­recontest.

“You have just shafted the very people who worked so hard to get you elected,” she said.

“If it was not for the Liberal Party, you would certainly not be in parliament today.”

Mr Pendlebury, 78, said he regretted helping Ms Banks in 2016.

Julie Bishop, Rebehka Sharkie, Julia Banks and Dr Keryn Phelps at the Crossbench Christmas Party in Parliament House in Canberra.

“We worked very hard on the polling booths, doing letterbox drops, and now she’s left the party,” he said.

“It’s not the party that’s changed — it’s her.”

Ms Banks disagreed, saying she had been elected when Malcolm Turnbull was prime minister.

“I was elected under the ­Turnbull brand,” she said.

“People asked me at the 2016 election, ‘Are you a Turnbull person or an Abbott person?’ and I said Turnbull.

“I was an unknown and I made sure that Malcolm’s face was alongside mine in all my campaign material.

“People tried to tell me that was a mistake, but I won the seat.”

Ms Banks arrived a little late at the crossbenchers’ Christmas party last night but was in high demand as parliamentarians, including Trade Minister Simon Birmingham, journalists and staffers asked after her.

The new independent MP was all smiles and clearly comfortable with her female independent colleagues, from whom, The Australian understands, she sought advice in the lead-up to her decision to quit the Liberal Party.

Julia Banks, Rebehka Sharkie and Andrew Wilkie at the parliament gathering.