Overview

• Stuart Smith resigned as Victorian Liberal state director and apologised after leaked staff WhatsApp messages showed him disparaging the Liberal Women’s Council and mocking MP Bev McArthur.
• The Australian published the messages, including a post captioned “F U LWCV” and a video labeled “here’s Bev with dementia,” prompting swift backlash.
• Victorian Liberal leader Brad Battin called the resignation the right decision, and MPs Evan Mulholland and David Southwick condemned the comments as unacceptable.
• The departure lands days before the party’s annual state council, where the presidency is up for a vote between incumbent Philip Davis and former president Greg Mirabella, with preselections opening soon after.
• The episode adds to ongoing internal disputes linked to the Pesutto–Deeming defamation case and the contested $1.55 million loan approved for John Pesutto.