The director of the Victorian Liberals, Stuart Smith, has resigned following the release of messages where he mocked the party’s women’s council and upper house MP Bev McArthur. Smith issued his resignation on Thursday morning and apologized for the WhatsApp messages, which were published in the Liberal party headquarters staff group chat by the Australian on Wednesday night. In the messages, Smith claimed that the Liberal Women’s Council could only reach decisions at a meeting “after two men told them they had to.” He also posted a photo of a martini with the caption: “F U LWCV,” an abbreviation for the women’s council. Furthermore, in a later exchange, Smith shared a video of McArthur, 76, waving an Australian flag, with the comment “here’s Bev with dementia.”
Smith acknowledged that he had apologized for the comments and decided to resign to prevent any distractions for the party. He stated, “In the best interests of the party I have tendered my resignation to minimize distractions from the important task of winning the next election. I regret the comments and have apologized for them.”
The Victorian Liberal leader, Brad Battin, stated that Smith’s resignation was the appropriate course of action. He said, “His comments were unacceptable and do not reflect the standards of professionalism, integrity, and inclusion that we all expect of each other.” Meanwhile, the opposition police spokesperson, David Southwick, called the comments “inappropriate” and denied any involvement of the parliamentary party in Smith’s resignation.
The situation further intensified with the publication of the messages proving the Liberal party was “deeply divided,” according to Danny Pearson, a minister in the Victorian Labor government. Smith’s departure occurs just before the party’s next state council meeting this weekend, featuring the re-election for the president’s position, with Philip Davis, the current president, and Greg Mirabella, his immediate predecessor, being the only two candidates. After the meeting, preselections will commence for candidates ahead of the November 2026 state election.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/sep/11/victorian-liberals-director-resigns-after-messages-mocking-the-partys-womens-council-were-revealed
