As the brawling continued on Friday a former senior Victorian Liberal senator said the party in the state uses women to win marginal electorates but failed to install female politicians into safe electorates or leadership jobs.

Judith Troeth, who was a Victorian Liberal senator for 18 years, has backed calls for an inquiry into the alleged bullying and intimidation during last week’s leadership spill in Canberra and said the party’s Victorian branch has a “women problem”.

The state division is still reeling from shock announcement of Ms Banks that she was walking away from her eastern suburbs seat, alleging she was bullied and intimidated during the leadership turmoil.

As NSW MP Craig Laundy called for an internal process to deal with bullying allegations, Ms Troeth told ABC radio that she believed the Liberals in her home state had a problem.

“I do think it has a women problem in Victoria, we’ve notably failed to preselect women for safe seats, we’ve notably failed to preselect women in other seats, from where they are, so they can go for better leadership positions in the last two years,” she said.

“Why would a woman leave a safe professional career, in which she’s done very well, or indeed running a small business...why would you want to go from that into a position where you can be bullied but more likely than not, your career expectations are going to be three years at the max?

“That’s not going to attract men or women.”

The former Senator supported Mr Laundy’s call for an official inquiry, citing the case of a female federal parliamentarian left shaken after being “berated” by a male colleague during the leadership turmoil.

“This is verbal intimidation to a very great degree and I don’t think that is appropriate in any workplace in Australia,” Ms Troeth said.

“I know politics is brutal, it’s very tough, but it does not need to have that degree of workplace intimidation.

“Scott Morrison should speak severely to the party room.

“As leader, he should be saying to them that from a private poor public aspect, this type of behaviour is not acceptable in the least and I do think there should be a internal process.”

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