After stinging loses in Wentworth and Victoria's state elections, the Liberals suffered another embarrassing blow as MP Julia Banks cited the party's "reactionary and regressive right wing" as she quit and moved over to the crossbench.

The federal member from Chisholm said her adherence to "sensible centrist values, belief in economic responsibility and focus on always putting the people first and acting in the nation's interest" were now incompatible with the current state of the Liberals, which she described as lousy with craven opportunists.

To Ms. Banks, the spill against former PM Malcolm Turnbull was "led by members of the reactionary right wing" who were "aided by many MPs trading their vote for a leadership change in exchange for their individual promotion, preselection endorsement, or silence."

Banks accused members of the Liberals of attempting to bully her during the leadership spill.  She had been signalling that she'd contest the next election as an independent, and we now know that election will come in May.  Prime Minister Scott Morrison had been announcing that very fact when Banks took the wind out of his sails with her dramatic announcement.

Meanwhile in the upper house, the Senate suspended Greens leader Richard Di Natale for the day after he called Senator Barry O'Sullivan a "sexist pig" for comments O'Sullivan made to female senators.  "It is not just the usual banter, and we all engage in the usual banter," said Greens Senator Rachel Sievert, "As a woman, I can say I was extremely offended by what I heard Senator O'Sullivan say, which I will never repeat.  It was an awful thing for him to say."

Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young is proud of her party leader: "I want to make it very clear that I am thankful to Senator Di Natale for standing up and calling them out," she said, "That is what real men do.  Real men don't insult and threaten women, and they don't slut-shame them and they don't attack them and make them feel bullied in their workplace."