A Victorian upper house MP says she did not get into parliament on Senator Derryn Hinch's coat tails after splitting with his party.
Catherine Cumming will be sworn in to parliament as an independent on Wednesday, despite being elected to the Western Metropolitan Region less than a month ago under the Derryn Hinch Justice Party banner, along with Legislative Council candidates Stuart Grimley and Tania Maxwell.
Senator Hinch says she was booted out after trying to blackmail her way into being elected parliamentary leader of the trio, while Ms Cumming says the party did not properly support her.
"I did not feel supported by my party, Derryn wanted me to be the leader," she told 3AW on Wednesday.
"The others did not vote in that way and I know it's a democratic process, but I felt the others were part of Glenn Druery's preference system and I wasn't."
Ms Cumming says she was not backed by the party's preference system and through self-styled preference whisperer Mr Druery, who also works for Mr Hinch.
The former local councillor said she had a strong primary vote, which got her over the line.
She said she first raised concerns about preferences after the ballots were drawn and did not think she could then leave the party before the election.
But Senator Hinch maintains Ms Cumming tried to manipulate her way into the party leadership and was interested the extra taxpayer funding she would receive as an independent, rather than a member of a party.
