A leaked email sent to Liberal Party supporters in Canberra and in the neighbouring NSW seat of Eden-Monaro suggests some Coalition supporters want Peter Hendy to lose his seat because of his role in plotting to remove former Prime Minister Tony Abbott.
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The email, sent in the early hours of Monday morning from an organisation called Menzies Group, claimed “some members have been heard at Canberra Liberals functions openly talking about their desire to see the incumbent lose the seat”.
The email exposes once more the simmering tensions within the party’s support base about last September’s coup, and Mr Hendy’s key role in it.
Mr Hendy was one of the key plotters in the coup, hosting the final meeting of MPs at his home in Queanbeyan.
The Menzies Group is a small group, formed initially as a protest against the sitting Liberal Senator for the ACT, Zed Seselja, after he successfully challenged Gary Humphries for pre-selection in 2013.
The email claimed the Canberra Liberals had withdrawn “support” for Mr Hendy’s campaign in the crucial seat.
“Normally the Canberra Liberals would organise support for the Eden- Monaro campaign, but soon after the change of prime minister last year, a conservative commentator revealed on air that he had it on good authority that would not happen this election,” the email said.
“That may have been the result of a heat of the moment dummy spit by a conservative power broker,” the email adds.
But Fairfax Media understands there is no formal agreement existing to donate campaign funds across the border and share volunteers.
For his part, Mr Hendy says he has “strong support” from the ACT Liberals including Senator Seselja, who supported Mr Abbott.
“There are a large number of ACT Liberals supporting the Eden- Monaro campaign,” Mr Hendy said.
“The volunteer network from Eden-Monaro, which is by far the largest component of our campaign, is as strong as ever.”
Mr Hendy’s seat of Eden- Monaro is crucial to Mr Turnbull’s electoral fortunes. Since 1972, the seat has always been won by the party which won government.
Mr Hendy is up against former Labor member Mike Kelly whom he narrowly defeated in 2013.
Mr Kelly, a former soldier, has been advising Labor Leader Bill Shorten on defence and foreign policy since losing the seat.
He is considered a popular figure locally and it’s estimated his personal vote could be worth at least a few per cent.
A redistribution has increased the Liberal Party’s margin from 0.6 per cent to 2.9 per cent.
