Liberal MPs asked to sign letter to oust Vincent Tarzia as leader
A secret letter circulated among Liberal MPs demanding Vincent Tarzia’s resignation, The Advertiser can reveal.
Liberal MPs were asked to sign a letter demanding Vincent Tarzia step down as leader, ahead of his sudden resignation.
The Advertiser has been told the letter was circulated to MPs before his Friday morning bombshell announcement, during the push to install Ashton Hurn as his replacement.
Ms Hurn, who was elected unopposed at a party room meeting on Monday morning, denied any knowledge of the letter.
In an exclusive interview with The Advertiser, Ms Hurn pointed to Mr Tarzia’s comments when stepping down, when he said he had decided to quit on Friday morning without being pushed, or any input from colleagues.
There is no evidence that the letter was presented to Mr Tarzia, or that he was told about it by agitators.
It is not known how many MPs signed the letter – only that they were asked to do so by plotters who have not been named.
But the revelation of a letter petitioning Mr Tarzia to quit fuels allegations of an orchestrated campaign to depose him by senior Liberal agitators pushing for Ms Hurn to take over.
Labor will seize upon the revelation to further its claims that Mr Tarzia was “constantly undermined” and “white-anted” – as Health Minister Chris Picton has claimed.
Asked by The Advertiser whether she was aware of a letter that Liberal MPs were being asked to sign, asking Mr Tarzia to quit, Ms Hurn said: “He made it clear that he came to this decision by himself and I’ve certainly got no reason to second guess that.”
Asked if she knew about Liberal MPs being asked to sign such a letter, Ms Hurn said: “I’ve certainly never been asked to sign a letter nor have I seen a letter but all I’m focused on is the future.”
Asked if she had any knowledge whatsoever of such a letter, Ms Hurn said: “No, none of that’s been brought to my attention and, as I say, I mean even Vincent has made his position really clear.”
Asked by The Advertiser on Friday if any of his parliamentary colleagues or anyone in the Liberal Party forced the decision in any way, Mr Tarzia said he had seen no evidence of his leadership being undermined.
“No one has come to see me. I mean, last week there were reports, rumours flying around.
“There was no such delegation. I’m not even sure how that even stacks up. I do not understand how that even stacks up,” he said.
“Think about how that affects people. Think about how that looks. But I can tell you right now, no delegation approached me, or there was nothing of that sort that ever happened.”
But Mr Tarzia at the time had a clear message for those who destabilised his leadership.
“Well, I still don’t understand who may or may not have. All I would say to anyone in that situation, ultimately, you reap what you sow.”
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Originally published as Liberal MPs asked to sign letter to oust Vincent Tarzia as leader
