Factional warfare in the Victorian Liberal Party has intensified after a senior official was accused of being involved in a Catholic schools campaign against the Turnbull government's Gonski 2.0 education funding reforms.
Liberal executive member Michael Pountney has been forced to issue a "please explain" after he was implicated in a coordinated attack that targeted federal government MPs in the marginal seats of Dunkley, La Trobe, Chisholm and Corangamite.
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The telephone campaign was pushed by the Melbourne Catholic Education Office in a bid to get a better deal for Catholic schools, some of which face significant funding cuts under the new package.
However in article in The Australian last week, Mr Pountney – who works at the Catholic Education Office as an acting manager of communications and marketing – was named as a key operative, prompting calls for his resignation.
Some within the party are furious that the senior Liberal office bearer was linked to the Gonski campaign, and during an administrative committee conference call on Wednesday night, demanded a detailed written explanation of his involvement.
The matter will also be discussed on Friday at the Liberals' state assembly, which has the power to censure members, demand apologies, or in the most extreme cases, suspend or expel them.
"To be aware or involved in a campaign which targets four marginal seats in Victoria is clearly a conflict," said one insider.
The internal angst is the latest brawl to erupt within the Liberal Party, which has spent recent weeks at war with itself over a raft of other issues, including energy policy, same-sex marriage, and Malcolm Turnbull's leadership.
But while Mr Pountney's actions have angered some, others described Wednesday's deliberations as a waste of time and a "failed factional hit" by forces loyal to state president Michael Kroger, who called the meeting.
"At a time when the party is imploding, it's good to see we're focusing on the big issues," one source said, sarcastically.
It is also understood that Mr Pountney explained during the administrative committee meeting that he did not authorise the marginal seats campaign, and that key decisions were made by senior officials at the Catholic Education Office.
He declined to discuss the issue when contacted on Thursday, telling The Age: "I don't comment on internal Liberal Party matters."
But the Catholic Education Office's executive director Stephen Elder, a former Liberal MP, said Mr Pountney's role "has been well overplayed" by some Liberals, adding: "it's unbecoming for a major political party to be playing university-style politics."
"Catholic education has been lobbying for a government policy outcome. It's not the first organisation to have ever done this. Michael Pountney has been a bit player in a national campaign," Mr Elder said.