The last remaining Democratic Labour Party MP has defected to Cory Bernardi's Australian Conservatives and now her old party wants her to quit her seat.
Former DLP MP Rachel Carling-Jenkins confirmed the switch on Monday to Senator Bernardi's party, making her the first Australian Conservatives member in Victoria's parliament.
But her former party said in a statement it naturally expects Dr Carling-Jenkins to step down after she was "poached".
"While the DLP has no way of removing Rachel from the seat we call upon her to do the right thing and step aside," the statement read.
"What we do not accept is her intention to take a DLP seat to a party that has never stood for election in Victoria and is not even registered."
Dr Carling-Jenkins, who campaigned on a strong anti-abortion platform and described herself as a "social justice campaigner" in her maiden speech, was the DLP's only MP nationally.
"I have joined this party quite simply because it is about uniting conservatives across our great state," Ms Carling-Jenkins told reporters at Victoria's parliament house.
The upper house MP said hundreds of thousands of Victorians felt they were not being heard by politicians.
When asked why she didn't make the switch at the 2018 election, Dr Carling-Jenkins replied:
"I think it's time and many voters have demanded this from me, that we unite as a conservative united front," she said.
"I think that's being faithful to the voters who voted me in."
Senator Bernardi, who was at Victoria's parliament house for the announcement, said he admired Ms Carling-Jenkins for her tenacity, resilience and advocacy for causes she believed in.
"I thought she was someone I could deal with and someone I admire," the South Australian Senator told reporters.
He plans to have other candidates run in both the upper and lower house in Victoria's next state election, and is looking at key regional areas.
Senator Bernardi formed the Australian Conservatives earlier this year after quitting the Liberal Party.
The move follows the announcement in April of a merger with the Family First Party in South Australia and absorbing upper house members Robert Brokenshire and Dennis Hood.
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