Liberal members warned Matthew Guy about Renee Heath weeks ago,but were ignored. Credit:Composite image
Mollison made three formal requests:that Heath receive counselling against espousing the beliefs of her church,be directed not to campaign in any electorate without warning,and give each candidate a right to issue a statement to distance themselves from Heath’s views and those of her church.
Heath waspre-selected for the safe upper house seat in July following a narrow victory against Catherine Burnett-Wake,re-igniting debate over the party’s commitment to laws banning gay conversion therapy. The opposition leader on Saturday described gay conversion therapy as “abhorrent” but on Wednesday,whenThe Ageasked Guy whether he had personally asked Heath about her views,he said he was too busy campaigning.
Heath and her church have not responded to questions about her views or the influence of the church,where her father Brian is a pastor,on her political ambitions.
Four Liberal vice presidents – Holly Byrne,Anthony Mitchell,Amanda Millar and Tony Schneider – wrote a combined letter to the party’s leadership administrative wing calling for an investigation weeks ago,according to a number of sources. “They didn’t even get a response”,a source with knowledge of the matter said.
In another letter obtained byThe Sunday Age,Helen Reid,a long-time Liberal Party member and former secretary at both its Bass and Pakenham branches,wrote on November 7 to Mirabella and McQuestin that Heath represented the “extreme views of a very well-organised and orchestrated minority”.
Reid,who has been a member of the party for 24 years and held a number of branch roles,said she was considering cancelling her party membership over Heath’s preselection.
“I worry about the direction that the Liberal Party is taking and that it no longer represents my views and values and many others like me … I believe most Victorians abhor either extreme ‘left’ or ‘right’ views and sit somewhere in the middle.”
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Another Liberal Party member,Rob Sheehan,wrote to Liberals state president Robert Clark to outline what he described as “diabolical” problems for the party in the region.
“If Pentecostal Christians in Gippsland want to take over Liberal Party branches,fine by me – provided they do so openly and declare their agenda openly.”
Sheehan said the “secretive approach … undermines trust and confidence in our democratic system” and called for “open,respectful and inclusive” debate on public policy.
“The state director,president and Matthew Guy thought there were no concerns,and this is the end consequence we’re now having to deal with,” said one Liberal within the administrative committee. “This is the straw that broke the camel’s back,but it’s more like a log than a straw.”
The source said the party was bracing for electoral damage across inner-city seats,such as Hawthorn and Brighton,following the federal election,in which a number of moderates were ousted over a perception the party had moved too far to the right.
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Liberal candidate John Pesutto,who is fighting a teal challenger in Hawthorn,appeared on queer radio station Joy Media on Saturday to say he would publicly call out discrimination in the party,and to praise Guy for removing Heath from the party room.
“No party can be across every detail,if a candidate doesn’t disclose something,” Pesutto said. “What Matthew Guy announced this morning,with respect to Renee Heath,was an appropriate course.”
University of Sydney expert David Smith says religion is declining in Australia,and particularly Victoria,meaning the Liberals’ association with churches like City Builders will harm the party brand.
“Given Victoria is the most secular state in the country,there’s a danger that the more they become associated with religious groups,the more limited their electoral appeal,” he says. “A lot of non-religious Australians are very wary of the political influence of religion.”
Smith said fringe religious groups were unlikely to have policy impact because unlike in America,where the church and state are more intertwined,“ordinary Australians” are concerned about the religious groups curbing voter rights.
Mirabella and Heath did not respond to requests for comment. McQuestin declined to comment.
Watch more about this story on60 Minutes at 8.40pm on Sunday.