Liberal MP Ann Sudmalis has launched an extraordinary attack on colleagues, using parliamentary privilege to accuse a NSW MP of "bullying, betrayal and backstabbing".
The member for the marginal NSW seat of Gilmore on Monday announced that she would quit politics at the next election, blaming branch stacking and unethical behaviour by Liberal colleagues.
In a speech to Parliament on Monday night, Ms Sudmalis named Gareth Ward, a longtime political adversary who holds the state seat of Kiama, as a key factor behind her decision to quit.
"This is not the first time that Gareth has flexed his vengeance on strong Liberal women. He doesn't just get even, he annihilates anyone who opposes him," she said.
An angry Mr Ward denied the allegations and challenged her to make them in public.
"This is an outrageous use of parliamentary privilege," he told Fairfax Media.
"If Ms Sudmalis believes the comments she's made tonight, she should make them outside of Parliament and provide evidence."
In comments that will rock the Liberal Party as it struggles to handle other allegations of bullying and intimidation during last month's leadership spill, Ms Sudmalis also slammed officials in the NSW division for not doing enough to support her.
Hours after Ms Sudmalis detailed her experience to Prime Minister Scott Morrison at Parliament House on Monday, he instructed the Liberal Party's federal executive to create a new "rigorous and confidential process" for complaints from party members and MPs.
In her late-night speech to a largely empty House of Representatives, Ms Sudmalis claimed she had endured a "trifecta" of opposition in Mr Ward, local Liberal member Andrew Guile, and John Hanscombe, the editor of the local paper the South Coast Register, which is owned by Fairfax Media.
"Between them I have been misrepresented in all manner of media and a continuing barrage of actions from April 2012," she said.
Ms Sudmalis stressed her decision to quit had nothing to do with the leadership of Mr Morrison, who she called a friend and a "man of integrity".
"My decision does, however, have everything to do with the NSW state division and their lack of action, and the combined undermining actions as outlined by the revenge-motivated trifecta surrounding me locally," she said.
"It is the state division level that I have little or no support [from] during the past six months while waiting for the preselection process, which should have been determined before now."
The criticism of the party will prompt new questions about its treatment of women. A number of female MPs claimed they were bullied and intimidated into supporting Peter Dutton's failed plot to overthrow Malcolm Turnbull.
"Politics is a place where if you do not have great resilience, the actions of others can impact on your mental health," Ms Sudmalis told Parliament.
"I would ask here that those who feel inspired to be spiteful, angry, insulting and gutless because they're using their keyboards - have a think before pressing the send button. How would you feel if you received the email you're about to send?
"I have decided enough is enough. Who was this about? Certainly not the people who elected me. It was about ego-driven ambition, bullying and betrayal and my local position is completely untenable."
The likely new candidate, Grant Schultz, will struggle to hold the South Coast seat, which sits on a slim margin of just 0.7 per cent.
Hanscombe, the editor of the paper Ms Sudmalis condemned, said he stood by the publication's reporting.
"We're quite used to politicians taking aim at the messenger. I understand being a politician is a tough gig, but the fact is there was a lot of disquiet that was being directed to me," he said.
"Unfortunately as the editor of the local paper you're going to get that information, you can't sit on it and you are duty bound to report it."
Asked about Ms Sudmalis' speech, Mr Morrison on Monday night said: "Sometimes people can find this job a bit too much at times without that support locally from some of the local party members she's identified. That's unfortunate."
