Loading Leaked emails seen by The Age also show the party’s administrative committee was in September presented with a motion, seconded by Mr Mond, asking longstanding Liberal MPs Bernie Finn, Bruce Atkinson and Kim Wells to resign and make way for more women. However, that did not eventuate. Mr Mond took aim at immediate past president Michael Kroger, who he accused of preventing him from reporting on the financial affairs of the party. The resignation inflicts further damage on a party that is still reeling from last month's huge election loss, while pondering how to avoid defeat at the federal level next year. Mr Mond said he had been told the treasurer’s role related to fundraising but he continued to push for stronger financial oversight of the party’s finances.

“It was very difficult for me to do my job in circumstances where there was push back on everything.” Mr Mond said he was particularly concerned by a request to write a cheque to fund the litigation against the Cormack Foundation, which is the party’s most generous donor. The Age has contacted Mr Kroger for comment. Mr Mond described the latest review of the Liberals’ crushing election loss by former federal director Tony Nutt as “Groundhog Day”.

He said the recommendations contained in a previous review of the party’s 2014 election defeat were not properly followed up. Mr Mond called for an urgent inquiry into the party as a whole rather than a review of the November election campaign. He said the party desperately needed to attract younger people. “I had to send a message that the members have to stand up and be counted and take affirmative action, take control of this party because it’s going nowhere.” His resignation comes just two days before the party is due to vote on a new Victorian president to replace Mr Kroger, who quit two weeks ago following the leaking of damaging internal emails about his performance to the media.

Michael Kroger. Credit:AAP Just three people have entered the race to be state president: former attorney-general Robert Clark, who lost his seat of Box Hill in the election rout, long-time party member and current state seats committee chair Marcia Coleman, and administrative committee member Ian Quick, a fiery internal critic of the party's recent direction. Mr Kroger’s factional allies are believed to be backing Ms Coleman, and have waged a hostile campaign against Mr Clark behind the scenes. All three candidates declined to comment on Wednesday, other than to confirm their nominations. The new president will be elected at a vote of the party’s state assembly on Friday night.

One senior Liberal who supports Mr Clark said he was the only candidate who commanded enough respect to unite the party after its disastrous Victorian election campaign, in which it lost eight lower house seats and suffered swings in the order of 10 per cent in many suburban seats. “We don’t have much time to get the band back together before the federal election,” the source said. The internal ructions come after former Victorian Liberal state director Damien Mantach embezzled almost $1.5 million in party funds - for which he was jailed in 2016.