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PM is ‘confident’ Liberals have no bullying MPs

The Prime Minister says he has no bullying MPs.

The Prime Minister says he has no bullying MPs. Photo: AAP

Prime Minister Scott Morrison says he is 100 per cent confident bullying is not an issue within the Parliamentary Liberal Party.

Mr Morrison says outgoing NSW Liberal MP Ann Sudmalis and others he has spoken to in recent weeks are aggrieved at bullying within the party’s organisational wing.

He has requested the federal executive to come up with a rigorous complaints process after Ms Sudmalis announced she was quitting politics over bullying in her local branch.

Mr Morrison wants to ensure there is “a rigorous and confidential process” to deal with concerns and complaints from all party members.

“We have that process within the parliamentary party,” Mr Morrison told reporters in Canberra on Tuesday.

I want to be confident the party organisation under their responsibilities is doing the same thing, because that’s where Ann’s complaint has gone to, that’s where she has been concerned, and I’ll leave that to the party organisation to address.”

Mr Morrison refused to say whether NSW state Liberal MP Gareth Ward – who Ms Sudmalis has accused of bullying her – has further questions to answer.

Asked whether he was 100 per cent confident bullying was not an issue within the federal parliamentary party, the prime minister replied: “I am.”

Mr Morrison also wants “concrete plans” to ensure the party attracts and supports outstanding male and female candidates.

“I continue to make it clear that I want to see more women in the federal parliament,” he said.

Ms Sudmalis will quit at the next election, making her the third Liberal woman in the lower house to announce her departure.

“My decision has been made after six-and-a-half years of holding my pledge to be a team player in the face of NSW Liberal Party bullying, intimidation, leaking and undermining at a local level,” Ms Sudmalis said on Monday.

The MP’s exit comes as the Liberal Party faces a backlash over its lack of commitment to preselecting women.

Victorian Liberal Julia Banks announced she would quit at the election over bullying claims, while Queensland Liberal Jane Prentice is going after losing her own preselection.

South Australian senator Lucy Gichuhi, who has been relegated to an unwinnable position on the Liberals’ ticket for the next election, also threatened to name colleagues accused of bullying during the leadership crisis.

Just under one-in-four Liberal MPs are women compared with almost 50 per cent in Labor ranks.

-AAP

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