Victorian Liberal Party member falsely declared dead; member exodus to One Nation
Consensus Summary
The core story involves John Ternel, a long-serving Victorian Liberal Party member, who was falsely declared dead in a mass email sent on May 14, 2026, after resigning due to frustration with the party’s direction. The email, sent with the subject line 'Deceased Member,' sparked outrage and confirmed Ternel’s growing disillusionment, leading him to consider joining One Nation. The incident highlights broader challenges for the Victorian Liberals, including a surge in member defections to One Nation, poor polling (with One Nation leading the Coalition in primary votes), and internal dysfunction. Six members resigned from Ternel’s local branch simultaneously, and other branches are experiencing similar losses. The party’s struggles are mirrored by high-profile defections like former senator Hollie Hughes and vice-president Teena McQueen, who joined One Nation, citing preselection disputes and a lack of direction. One Nation’s rise, fueled by cost-of-living messaging and disaffection with major parties, poses a direct threat to the Liberals ahead of the November 2026 Victorian election. Analysts suggest the Liberals must pivot to the political centre to regain support, but internal divisions and administrative failures risk further erosion of their base.
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Key details reported by multiple sources:
- John Ternel, a Victorian Liberal Party member, was falsely declared dead in a mass email sent on 2026-05-14 with the subject line 'Deceased Member'
- The email stated: 'We have been informed that Mr John Ternel has sadly passed away and is no longer a member of the Narre Warren / Endeavour Hills Branch, Narre Warren North SEC, Bruce FEC'
- John Ternel resigned from the Liberal Party after twice unsuccessfully seeking preselection (once for Bruce federal seat in 2025, once for Narre Warren North state seat in 2026)
- Ternel is now considering joining One Nation, which is expanding its candidate network for the November 2026 Victorian election
- The Liberal Party issued a 'Correction Notice' and apologized to Ternel for the 'system error' within hours of sending the email
- Six members resigned from the Narre Warren branch simultaneously with Ternel, and other suburban branches are experiencing member losses
- Maria Kerr, a former Liberal candidate and Brimbank Council Deputy Mayor, resigned from the Liberal Party last week, citing disillusionment with the party's direction and candidate selection
- One Nation leader Pauline Hanson and former Liberal member Michael Piastrino (now One Nation) have been actively recruiting disaffected Liberals, including Ternel
- The Liberal Party lost the Farrer byelection in May 2026, with a record swing to Labor, and is facing polling challenges (One Nation at 24-27% primary vote, Coalition at 20%)
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- A Liberal member responded to the email with: 'To misquote Twain, the report of John's death is an exaggeration. I suggest that this is more than a simple mistake; it just shows the depth of the rot that has set in the administration of our once-fine Party.'
- Maria Kerr stated that 90 out of 100 members at the St Albans branch would allow memberships to lapse due to the party's 'neglect of the west'.
- Ternel received over 20 phone calls from Liberal members in 24 hours asking about One Nation, with many expressing interest in defecting.
- Former Liberal-turned-One Nation member Michael Piastrino commented on Ternel’s Facebook post: 'Your orange tshirt is waiting for you.'
- The article mentions that One Nation rolled out a national branch network in April 2026 after record-high polling.
- The Victorian Liberal Party was contacted for comment but did not provide a detailed response beyond the correction notice.
- Former Liberal senator Hollie Hughes and former party vice-president Teena McQueen defected to One Nation, citing dissatisfaction with Liberal preselection processes and leadership.
- The article compares the Liberal Party’s struggles to those of the UK Conservatives, with senior members like Suella Braverman and Robert Jenrick joining Nigel Farage’s Reform UK.
- Liberal strategists like Paul Erickson (Labor) and Tony Barry (ex-Liberal pollster) argue the Liberals must return to the centre to regain support.
- Angus Taylor, Liberal opposition leader, told Sky News that voters angry with Labor’s budget measures should join the Liberals, not One Nation.
Where the reporting differs
Details that conflict, or appear in only some outlets:
- The Guardian states One Nation’s primary vote is 27% (The Australian Newspoll) and 24% (Nine’s Resolve), while the ABC does not provide specific polling numbers for One Nation but notes its rising popularity.
- The Guardian mentions that Teena McQueen dined with Gina Rinehart at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club, but this detail is not confirmed in the other articles.
- The ABC and NEWSCOMAU report that Ternel resigned after the Farrer byelection, while the Guardian states he resigned 'in the wake of this month’s Farrer byelection,' implying a slightly different timeline.
Source Articles
Ex-Lib breaks silence after bizarre email fail
The Victorian Liberal Party has been forced to make a U-turn after falsely announcing the death of an ex-member – who now may defect to One Nation.
Returning to the centre may be the only way the walking dead Liberals can rise again
After the weekend defections to One Nation, and with more possibly to come, the task for remaining party loyalists is to regroup and reorient Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Even for Victoria’s usually dysfunctional Liberal party division, the untimely death of member John Ternel was a schmozzle. A member for more than a decade, Ternel twice sought preselection to run for the Libs in suburban Melbourne seats. Unsuccessful both times, he quit in the wake of this month
The Liberals said John was dead, but he's considering a new political life
When John Ternel quit the Victorian Liberal Party this week the party mistakenly sent an email to members saying he had died. Mr Ternel says the ordeal confirmed to him that the Victorian Liberals are in shambles.