The battle to drag the Victorian Liberal Party to the hard right has escalated amid rising panic that One Nation are "in for a serious shot at a few upper house seats" at the 2018 state election.
Confidential emails from senior figures on the Liberal Party's influential 19 member administrative committee warn that the party must undertake a "substantial and clear pivot back to the right" to win back voters being lost to One Nation.
![Liberal preselection candidate for the seat of Narracan Stephanie Ross, pictured with Brighton preselection winner James ...](/web/20161222150635im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/7/u/9/t/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gtfplj.png/1482314430315.jpg)
And Fairfax Media has also obtained a private letter sent this week by pro-life campaigner Stephanie Ross, who is challenging 65-year-old incumbent Gary Blackwood for the state Liberal seat of Narracan, rallying supporters to "reignite the fire" to promote a socially conservative agenda and halt a push towards same-sex marriage and euthanasia.
"There is a state/nation wide push to bring conservative politics back into fashion!" the letter says. "People like Corey (sic) Bernardi in SA, Andrew Hastie in WA, George Christensen in QLD and Kevin Andrews in VIC are all fighting and need our backing."
The call-to-arms letter has raised alarm at the highest echelons of the party. It is understood state Liberal director Simon Frost contacted Ms Ross on Tuesday night seeking an explanation after complaints from party members claiming it breached Liberal rules banning the circulation of material that could influence preselectors.
If the breach is found to be serious enough, Ms Ross could be prevented from challenging for the safe Gippsland seat, although some warn such a move would "stir up a hornets nest" in the party, inflaming tensions with the hard right.
Last week Fairfax Media published details of polling suggesting One Nation is now capturing 9.4 per cent of the state vote, compared to just 3.7 per cent for the Nationals and 32.5 per cent for the Liberal Party.
A confidential email sent by Paul Mitchell, the membership and branch development officer on the powerful Administrative Committee, warns that the rise of One Nation in Victoria is "deeply worrying" for the party.
![Stephanie Ross (centre) next to former prime minister Tony Abbott.](/web/20161222150635im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/f/u/e/q/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gtfplj.png/1482314430315.jpg)
"Indeed, I would say that the challenge of dealing with One Nation is of existential proportions for our Party," the email from Mr Mitchell, who is an ally of president Michael Kroger, says. "We cannot have One Nation being a linchpin in our side, as the Greens are for Labor."
It claims "hysteria" about the Liberal Party going further to the right is "profoundly unfounded", warning that the polling numbers reported by Fairfax Media show One Nation could claim several upper house seats in Victoria.
![Illustration: Ron Tandberg](/web/20161222150635im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/g/2/w/7/image.related.articleLeadNarrow.300x0.gtfplj.png/1482366255862.jpg)
"Certainly on those numbers they may be in for a serious shot at a few upper house seats," it says. "There should … be no illusions that One Nation is stealing votes from the Liberal Party (and at quite a rate on those figures)."
There is concern that should One Nation grow too much the Liberals may have to do deals with the hard-right party, similar to the relationship between Labor and the Greens. This, it is claimed, would open the party up to attacks about doing deals with "racists".
![Stephanie Ross.](/web/20161222150635im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/f/u/4/e/image.related.articleLeadNarrow.300x0.gtfplj.png/1482314430315.jpg)
Another email from committee member Beverley McArthur, warns a lack of viable representation by the Nationals in rural Victoria has created an opening for minor parties such as the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party to claim further upper house seats.
It is understood there is a push from some in the party to embrace a John Howard approach to One Nation and to tackle them head-on. But in a growing rift, others are fighting back.
A senior party source claimed there was particular unhappiness about the role being played by Liberal MP for Deakin Michael Sukkar.
"The majority of branch members who have been around for years are now taking the party back from the branch-stacking religious right."
Ms Ross declined to comment in line with party rules preventing preselection candidates from talking to the media.
A push to recruit socially conservative religious groups hit a snag last week when a group of former Family First and Australian Christians members were refused membership to the Liberal Party.
Anyone is free to join the party, but if they have been a member of another party they need to get approval from the State Assembly.