VICTORIAN Nationals leader Peter Walsh has been caught on audio swearing and exchanging heated insults towards a Liberal MP during a private party room meeting, last week.
Mr Walsh became enraged during a discussion about gay conversion therapy weeks after James Newbury promised the party would not amend new laws into the practice if it came into power.
Mr Newbury last month made a public guarantee the Victorian Opposition would not amend new conversion therapy laws, passed in February, that made it illegal to attempt to change or suppress a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity.
“The Liberal Party will not be changing these laws, I am giving an absolutely iron-clad guarantee,” Mr Newbury said.
“These laws are about a practise which supposes that you can choose being gay – you cannot choose to be gay, you are born gay.
“There is no praying that will change who you are.”
But MPs fiercely rejected Mr Newbury’s promise in the audio leaked by The Age.
“My assumption from my conversation is that the shadow cabinet process and the party room process no longer applies to any decisions we’ve made,” Mr Walsh said in the audio.
“That if a shadow minister changes and they put their own personal views on a policy irrespective of what’s been through the processes of our two parties, I think we’ve totally lost our way.”
Mr Walsh said the Nationals would not support Mr Newbury’s promise.
“Just because James has been appointed to shadow doesn’t give him the right to change history and put a very definite view that is counter to what’s been agreed to by our party processes,” Mr Walsh said.
“From a Nationals point of view, we will not be supporting James on this position and he can go and get f***ed, simple as that.”
Former leader Michael O’Brien reportedly promised the Australian Christian Lobby the laws would be amended if the Coalition won the state election next year.
The Opposition did not oppose the legislation but did try to amend them amid concern over religious freedoms and backlash from faith groups.
An Opposition spokesperson on Thursday maintained the party would not amend the laws.
