Former opposition leader Leanne Castley quits the Liberal Party over 'toxic culture' and bullying claims

Published: 02:40, 3 June 2026 | Updated: 02:45, 3 June 2026 Canberra Liberal Leanne Castley announced she would leave the party and sit in ACT parliament as an independent on the crossbench. 'I have simply had enough of being part of an organisation with such a toxic culture,' she said in statement. 'In the last 18 months, I have experienced bullying, intimidation, lies, and even a threat of physical assault. 'I can no longer be part of an organisation which tolerates this conduct.' Ms Castley became ACT opposition leader after the party's 2024 election loss. However, she stepped down from leading the party in November after her decision to suspend two Liberals from the party room - Peter Cain and her predecessor in the role Elizabeth Lee - created turmoil. Ms Castley later told ABC Radio the bullying towards her had taken place from when she became opposition leader. A former territory opposition leader (pictured) has quit the Liberal Party, citing threats of violence towards them and a toxic culture for leaving the organisation 'In the last 18 months, I have experienced bullying, intimidation, lies, and even a threat of physical assault,' Ms Castley (pictured) said in a statement 'It's not one person, it's not one issue, it's been an 18-month campaign,' she said., 'At some point I had to put a line in the sand and say, ok, I'm walking away.' Liberal leader Mark Parton denied the party had a toxic culture but said the organisation had treated bullying concerns. 'I don't condone bullying, intimidation or inappropriate behaviour of any kind,' he told ABC Radio. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.