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Next month, as Victorians gear up to watch the preliminary finals (Go Pies!) hundreds of Liberal members will flock to Moonee Valley Racing Club for a contest of a different kind.

Greg Mirabella's decision to pursue a career as a senator has opened up the race for the party's next state president, and it's looking increasingly likely it will go to a vote.

Greg Mirabella has resigned as president of the Victorian Liberal Party.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

While the role may be voluntary, a good president has the potential to shape the Liberal Party into a more modern outfit that is capable of winning elections. But the tussle for the job has opened up old wounds, largely based on personalities, that go back decades.

Some optimistic (or naive) members of the Victoria Liberal Party remain hopeful that come midday on Friday, only one application for party president will be received, making for a bloodless transition from Greg Mirabella to former upper house Liberal Philip Davis.

But Davis’ decision to publicly announce his candidacy – within an hour of Mirabella’s resignation landing in the inboxes of party members – was viewed by some as a stitch-up, more than the friendly takeover his supporters had hoped for.

Supporters of Davis – who served in state parliament for 21 years as the representative for Gippsland and later Eastern Victoria – believes it’s those connections on Spring Street that will help him secure the presidency, should it come to a vote.

This assumption caused amusement in other Liberal circles given most MPs elected in the past decade have had little to do with him. Many of those who do remember him were quick to remind me of his history of perceived disloyalty to the party’s leaders, particularly Ted Baillieu.

One of those MPs who sat alongside Davis in the upper house is the senior frontbencher and strong Baillieu ally, David Davis (no relation). Back in 2006, Phil D infamously described David D as unreliable in a blistering attack against his factional rival, and said he would be unable to work with DD (as he is sometime referred) despite his colleagues voting to elevate him to the leadership team.

Baillieu, a leading moderate figure in the party, is also understood to be less than thrilled about his candidacy.

“Ted has got to be listened to,” one MP urged yesterday. “He got us out of opposition, and in the modern Liberal Party that’s rare.”

While his nomination has angered moderates, a brouhaha between Davis and another Liberal member from Gippsland is also fuelling a group within the conservative faction, unhappy with his decision to run.

Despite all of this, Davis goes into the contest the clear favourite. His time away from politics appears to have cooled tensions and his ability to alienate figures from both factions has some Liberals hoping he can smooth tensions.

Baillieu’s close ally, Opposition Leader John Pesutto, had hoped to stay out of the fight. While tensions in the parliamentary Liberal team seem to have settled, Pesutto can’t afford to back a loser.

The Liberals go into this weekend’s Warrandyte byelection as clear favourites, but whatever the outcome, Pesutto’s detractors will be keeping close eye on the party’s primary vote after a recent poll suggested it had sunk to 26 per cent across the state.

With a lot on his plate, Pesutto may want to stay out of the presidency race, but the internal row about whether the party should fund his legal defence against defamation action by expelled MP Moira Deeming will be a key issue for the incoming president.

The relationship between Pesutto and Mirabella had cooled over the summer during the hunt for a new state director, but soured further over the administration committee’s unwillingness to pick up the tab for his legal bills.

On Thursday, Liberal sources confirmed Caroline Inge – who is also the Liberal Party’s federal vice-president and a former staffer, friend and ally of Tim Smith, was considering nominating for state president.

Ensuring party dollars aren’t spent funding Pesutto’s legal stoush is believed to be an issue close to her heart.

It is understood Inge also remains unhappy about Smith’s treatment following his drunken car crash. Her potential candidacy is likely to cause a headache for those MPs who pushed for him to go.

While the role is similar to the chair of a board, the party’s president can have a lot of influence moving numbers in pre-selections and crucially, deciding when they take place.

Kennett-era official Peter Clarke and administrative committee member Ian Quick are also believed to be toying with joining the presidency battle.

All this public bloodletting in Liberal land is occurring at the same time the Victorian ALP is trying to find a new state secretary following the resignation of Chris Ford. Old animosities are playing a role in that fight too with the left faction flexing its muscle, trying to prevent assistant secretary, Cameron Petrie, from taking the job. But as with most factional deals, a decision will be made behind closed doors.

For the Liberals, though, it’s increasingly likely the new president will be decided on the floor of the state council next month.

“In Labor you just lock the doors and work shit out. Whereas our democracy is our greatest weakness,” one Liberal MP complained.

Annika Smethurst is state political editor.

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