Senator Wendy Askew has hit out over leaked content from WhatsApp she set up

The drawn-out saga over the expulsion of veteran Brendan Blomeley from the Liberal Party has taken another twist. Read the latest.

Senator Wendy Askew. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

A Tasmanian Liberal senator says to her “dismay and disappointment”, content from a private WhatsApp group she set up for female election candidates has been leaked.

In an email obtained by the Sunday Tasmanian and sent to Liberal Party members late on Friday, Senator Wendy Askew also says she did not approach Greens MLC Cassy O’Connor, who under parliamentary privilege alleged expelled Liberal Brendan Blomeley had been accused “bullying and intimidating women” and that there was an active complaint against him in the party.

“For the avoidance of any doubt, I did not approach Ms O’Connor, and I have had no engagement whatsoever with her in relation to the matters she raised,” Senator Askew wrote.

“I am a proud supporter of women in the Liberal Party. I have deliberately taken steps to support our female candidates and will continue to do so.

“I will not be intimidated by recent events into shying away from continuing to openly support the fine candidates our party has to offer and in particular, our female candidates.”

City of Clarence Mayor Brendan Blomeley at Rosny. Picture: Chris Kidd

Senator Askew does not name Mr Blomeley in her email, but refers to “recent correspondence in which a disgruntled former party member has sought to weaponise against me both the leaked WhatsApp content and my history and record of supporting female candidates”.

After the Liberal Party’s recent state council refused to accept a motion to allow debate about his expulsion, Mr Blomeley sent a scathing email last weekend, saying the party is “a mere shadow of what it once was”.

Former Tasmanian of the Year Bruce Englefield and his wife Maureen said they had both resigned from the party in the wake of the motion about Mr Blomeley’s expulsion not being allowed to be debated.

“It was stifling debate and showed total disregard for members’ wishes,” he said.

“If the motion on Brendan had been allowed to be debated and it had been defeated at least there would have been a democratic vote on it.

“Politics is about compromise and if the Premier’s peace plan had been accepted at the beginning this would have been settled.

“The party is now split.”

A copy of a resignation letter from a Hobart businessman who said he was a “long time Liberal Party member and financial supporter” said he was “disillusioned” with the party’s actions in relation to Mr Blomeley.

“The whole process and philosophy appears to me to be petty, superficial, lacking any form of common sense but, more importantly, damaging to the Liberal brand,” he wrote.

“The Liberal Party needs all the support it can get from all areas of the community and political viewpoints, however shutting down debate at the recent conference is the final straw and about as “UN Liberal” as an own goal will get.”

Mr Blomeley, the Clarence mayor, was expelled from the party for refusing to rule out standing as an independent at the March state election.

Liberal Party state director Peter Coulson declined to comment.